Will Palin Get the Same Scrutiny Hillary Got?

So now we learn that Sarah Palin did not go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed, nor did she visit Ireland, as a spokesman claimed – she went through Ireland only for a refueling stop. Good reporting by the Boston Globe got to the truth of the matter. The McCain- Palin campaign was forced to concede the facts, but only after being pressed.

There’s a pattern here, two patterns actually. The first is that the McCain campaign is willing to peddle all sorts of untrue and half-true claims. The second is that the McCain campaign is clearly so uneasy about Palin’s patent lack of engagement with foreign policy that it has felt the need to greatly exaggerate what small bits of engagement she has had. (When ABC News' Charlie Gibson asked her how Alaska's proximity to Russia gave her insight into that country, Palin replied: “They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.” That’s reassuring, isn’t it? The Gibson interview also revealed the thinness Palin's knowledge of domestic policy, particularly on the budget.)

There is also a question here for the media. When Hillary Clinton claimed last March that she had to evade sniper fire during a landing in Bosnia in 1996, the media came down on her hard. It was a huge story. But at least Clinton actually visited Bosnia. Will the media focus the same attention on the false and exaggerated claims about Palin?

Journalists gave Al Gore endless grief about supposed exaggerations and even suggested he said things (about inventing the Internet) that he actually didn't say. Aren't Palin's claims about opposing earmarks, when she actually tried to get them, and about saying "no thanks" to the bridge to nowhere, when she initially supported it, part of a larger narrative of deception?

The media made a big deal about whether John Kerry, when he served in Vietnam, did or didn't cross the border with Cambodia. Why doesn't Palin's relationship to the Kuwait-Iraq border deserve at least as much attention?

Since we're talking about travel here, let's stay focused on the Clinton comparison: Is there one standard for Hillary Clinton -- a tough one -- and another, permissive standard for Sarah Palin? I’ll be curious about this and so, I suspect, will Hillary Clinton’s supporters.

A Note on Gibson: In an earlier post, I suggested that Gibson should stay away from questions about Palin’s family life and focus on policy and her public life. I salute him for doing exactly that. And to conservatives who are going after Gibson, I’d point out that (1.) he did not press her at all hard either on Troopergate or on the controversy over her relationship with the Wasilla public library when she was mayor; (2.) he was still far tougher on Barack Obama in last April’s debate than he was on Palin; and (3.) he treated Palin as a serious person who presumably had something to say beyond index card briefings about policy. That’s the opposite of sexism. (Click here for ABC’s lengthy excerpts from the interview to judge for yourself.)

I continue to believe that Palin’s lack of engagement with most national and virtually all international issues until the moment of her selection will eventually become a bigger issue. So will McCain’s extremely limited personal knowledge of Palin before he picked her.

We just have to do a better job of exposing this female> How about a hole in the woman's bathroom. You guys are sick. She is a governor elected by the people of Alaska. Whats all this about travel? How much does a two week visit to Europe tell one about Europeans. I lived there for four years and I do not know their political thinking. That is why Presidents have advisers.How many visited China before Nixon

Why isn't the main stream media doing a detailed investigation and reporting the widely distributed story that supposed "super" mom and pro life supporter Sara Plain at 8 months into her pregnancy risked the life and safety of her unborn baby who had been already diagnosed with down syndrome with a flight to Texas and that she placed the unborn in even further danger by again boarding a flight back to Alaska after her water broke in Texas to have the baby at a private hospital and then she returned to work three days later. This should be a featured story with time lines and opinions from obstetricians. Note that, supposedly, this birth was reported as "premature" yet the baby was reported to weigh about 6 1/2 pounds which is normally above the weight of a premature baby, fueling the debate that the baby actually belongs to Palin's daughter Bristol who had not recently bee seen by friends and that Bristol could have immediately gotten pregnant again, which though possible, is against the advice of most doctors. This is all coupled with the fact that Palin never looked pregnant and that the flight attendants on the plane from Texas to Alaska did not notice a pregnant woman on the flight nor were they alerted to the possibility of a medical emergency if the baby came while in the air. Many many people on various web sites wonder why this story has been in the news.

You lived in Europe for four years and do not know their political thinking? Why so incurious? In any event, your obvious willful ignorance of international affairs, is fine for you - but not for someone who may be President.

To the poster above, let's not leave too much thinking and responsibility to the president's advisers. Look where that has gotten us. No more ignorant puppets need apply to be anywhere near the Oval Office, thanks. Let's elect the smart one for a change!

In response the original post, I think we will see the mainstream media finally wake up, mainly since the ladies of "the View" have shown the way. (Thanks, Joy!)Journalists and pundits finally seem to be resisting the McCain camp's guilt trip for just doing their jobs. That said, I am not sure if we we will see Sarah held to the same standard as Hillary. That might just take more dedication and good sense than the MSM can muster at this late date. They were STILL talking about liptick and pigs on CNN today.

Some excellent points. When the GOP hits Hillary, it's to see if she's a truthful, competent candidate. When the Dems hit Palin, it's sexist. What a crock. Accepting a place on the ticket means having to tell us what your qualifications are, so we can make an informed choice come November. Oh, wait, maybe I just figured out why they're upset ...

I am convinced McCain had very little to do with the selection of Palin. Though he has overseen the complete ruination of his own formal and public pledge to keep the campaign respectful, I believe he has the best interests of the nation in his heart. Assuming he is still focused on improving the nation's health in general and restoring its international standing, he must be appalled that a campaign under his direction has tapped a person with such an obvious knowledge gap for such a high-ranking position. To me, it's reminiscent of Brown's FEMA appointment (from a horse racing background) and all the green appointees the Defense and State Departments sent to Iraq to run the CPA in 2003-4.

Obama's campaign should forget about experience and drive the messaging toward knowledge. It's one thing to repeat 3-by-5 card sound bites. You can't lead us to the future if you don't understand what's been tried before and where we are now.

Gibson should have asked Palin about the history of any important policy debate now ongoing - say, health care - and how she arrived at the positions she's so confidently taking.

I do hope that the Obama campaign will concentrate its fire on McCain for having recklessly and irresponsibly proposed Palin for the vice-presidency. Palin is clearly in far over her head, but none of this would have happened had not McCain plucked her from his sorcerer's hat after little or no vetting.

Let the press continue its exposure of Palin, including DEMANDING that she face the same kind of full-dress scrutiny in real (i.e., live) press conferences. But the Obama campaign has to avoid seeming to pile on her. Obama needs to hammer McCain for this horrible choice.

I disagree with your assessment of Gibson's interviews. He let her get off far too many hooks. But then, we haven't been shown a live interview, only edited segments--edited, I would expect, by the McCain camp. So I don't blame Gibson; he was trying to get just the few crumbs that Palin and her handlers would give him. Even so, those crumbs were damning.

The press has got to keep on this story. Where is Edward R. Morrow now that we really need his like?

The Washington Post is really comical these days. Do you realize that your front page consists mainly of hit pieces on Sarah Palin? She must really have you guys worried. She might derail your candidate's coronation. When are you guys going to go after the sleazy lobbying deals of Joe Biden's son? When are you going to do some research on just what Obama accomplished as a "community organizer?" When are you going to pick apart Obama's thin resume? Sarah Palin has endured more harsh scrutiny from the Washington Post in two weeks that Obama has in two years. You guys are so transparent! And you still claim that you are objective journalists. In the internet age, people can get information form other sources and your bias becomes abundantly clear.

The media, like everybody else, already knows what a flimsy candidate she is. And the media, like everybody else, already knows that McCain is running on his military credentials, his past "maverick" status, name recognition, and on his new found fidelity to Bush on the issues. For that is the way the media wants it; it's a habit after eight years of allegiance to the Bush White House, and it means giving a free pass to the heirs apparent of Bush's Iraq War agenda.

How about if OBAMA got the same scrutiny Hillary got? You know, the guy actually running for President? Being Vice President is like being a third nipple.

But I think at this point, most Americans would be happy if Palin go the same scrutiny Hillary got. Instead, she's enduring the most ridiculous stuff.

Remember the story of the boy who cried Wolf? At the end, everyone ignores him when the wolf does come.

You're making a big deal out of this Iraq thing, and I think there's a difference between going to visit the troops and coming within 1/4 mile of the Iraq border for a ceremony, and being under imaginary sniper fire. I remember Sarah Palin saying several times that she went to Kuwait, to see the AK troops sent to Iraq. Pretty clear that she was saying she went to Kuwait, not Iraq.

The only people in the media I remember even discussing whether Kerry was in Cambodia during Xmas was Jon Stewart... Yet that was "seared", "seared" into his memory.

Meanwhile, the uncut transcripts from ABC show a much more reasonable Sarah Palin then the cut transcripts. Which is disturbing about the media, not Palin. http://marklevinshow.com/gibson-interview/ If you guys keep lying to us, we're going to stop trusting you. Oh, too late, we already don't trust you.

Meanwhile, "Want2Know", you just have your facts wrong, the media isn't going to follow up on any of the stuff you're selling because its nonsense. Her water didn't "break". If it had, she would have been having the baby right then not 3 days later you moron. She had some amniotic fluid leakage, she called her doctor, and her doctor told her no problem, come on home. It's exactly that kind of nonsense that is going to lose this election for the Democrats.

The way I read it, you are the one who seems worried. Why are you defensive about Ms. Palin? You sound a lot like McCain's campaign, crying foul at every turn, as opposed to having confidence in your ticket. One would hope you are comfortable with your chosen representatives, and you'll look anxiously forward to Ms. Palin competently defending herself under the bright lights.

Watch the Biden/Brokaw interview from last weekend live on Meet the Press, during which Biden defends direct questions about the spurious claims regarding his son's work at the second biggest employer in Delaware. He's been willing to go out there and face the skeptics.

Ms. Palin should not be bothered, and neither should you, that she is facing media scrutiny. After all, we're all agreed she's the pinnacle of Republican executive acumen.

Questions should be is Obama ever going to get the same scrutiny Hillary got? If Sarah gives a speech will the MSM fawn all over her like they did Obama and forget that he never answered their question? Obama effectively changed his 20 year relationship with a racist Rev into an issue of race relations in America instead of why he participated in the hatred of whites instead of trying to get his branch of the church to stop being a black separatist branch.

Why doesn't Obama just stop the nonsense and agree to accept McCain's challenge and stand on the same stage with him and participate in Town Hall meetings? Obama says he wants to discuss the issues, well what better way to do it and be able to reach millions of voters at one time? What is Obama afraid of?

If the McCain Army of Deception have their way Palin would not. One can only imagine the furor Republicans would be raising now if the discussion was about Hilary or Barack. Hell, they don't have any dirt on Barack now, so they make it up and spew it out as though it is truth, with a straight face. I hope that McCain get his comeuppance, and that the fraud that is Palin explodes in his face and sink him.

Sarah Palin is a liar just like her boss, John McCain. They will say anything to get favoring rating from the polls. I am glad she has been exposed just from a single interview with the friendly ABC News Anchor. If Palin is frightened by Charlie Gibson or Wolf Blitzer, how can she sit and look Putin in the eye. No Palin, No Mccain, No Bush.

1. I consulted with a Clinton linguist who advised me on the meaning of "to" and various forms of "is". Palin said she went "to" Iraq. Clearly, she meant "up to" Iraq; she would have said "in Iraq". Furthermore, what "is" Iraq; as we know, Kuwait was, for a short time, "in Iraq" prior to the first Gulf War. Finally, those borders are still in dispute. Therefore, the Press is unfairly picking on Palin.

2. PUMA has informed me that any criticisms of potential female candidates is sexist. As a male you may not do this. Ever. No means No. Never. How dare you. You are not physically equiped to investigate or criticize a female candidate. They are in the zone of protection. You may ask Sally Quinn, however, to do so, so long as you pay her a premium for her time.

Wonderfully articulated! And although I do not watch The View (or even like it for that matter) I do respect the fact that they actually called McCain on his crap. Now if only the rest of the media would step up...

Why doesn't Obama just stop the nonsense and agree to accept McCain's challenge and stand on the same stage with him and participate in Town Hall meetings? Obama says he wants to discuss the issues, well what better way to do it and be able to reach millions of voters at one time? What is Obama afraid of?

You cannot be serious...this what we call a Red Herring. Some how you forgot, one of the debates, the Oct. 7th one, will be a Town Hall Meeting format. So please stop this foolishness....McCain and his team need to spend more time taking about the issues, education, economy, etc. and spend less time and less on the distractions...when Obama's speeches/campaign stops provide specifics like tax cuts for 95% of the American families, the McCain focuses on debate format or ads that lie, lie, lie...give me a break

Does the Washington Post editorial board have meetings where they discuss how they are going to get Obama elected? "Lack of experience" makes Obama a "fresh face" and the creator of "a new kind of politics" while WaPo treats Palin's arrival on the national political scene with derision and contempt. This election is really a watershed event in American politics. The national news media is clearly biased and has dropped all journalistic ethics in an attempt to get their favored candidate elected. The American people are wise to it and know that anything journalists say should be taken with a grain of salt. Journalism is now one of the least respected professions in America.

Now that The Post has fairly buried the MaCain campaign's lies about Palin's tour of Iraq and Ireland on its inside editorial pages, and online during the dark of night, I trust it will at least report on her daliances and intrigues with her husband's business partner, who's now trying to sequester the records of his divorce proceedings. Something fishy there. If it was a Democrat, mainstream media sharks would be in a feeding frenzy. Go Obama !

musing: Excuse me, but anyone running for office or seeking a public position owes explanations. The explanations are owed for what they do, do not do, say, do not say, how they say it.

So far, my opinion of Palin is extremely low, because she has yet to tell the truth. I also strongly resent that when it comes to her personal life, I am expected to either suspend opinion or agree with what she has done.

That is not how things work. Palin put some personal matters in the public arena. That was her decision. Now they are fair game. I question the judgment of a woman who gets pregnant in her forties; I question the parental choice of going to work 3 days after having a high maintenance infant, especially since judging by her daughter there is room to improve the parental skills. These, coupled with her petty and vindictive attitude towards those who disagree with her and obvious padding of the truth (actually outright lying in my opinion) raise questions about her fitness for anything.

Well said again, EJ. Democrats continue to be punching bags for lying, arrogant, corrupt, morally bankrupt, born-again right-wingers. When will we get serious? It's not like the stakes can get any higher.

It seems to me that journalists are doing their jobs, exposing the lies and corruption of the GOP (and Democrats), but that anyone not towing the right-wing noose find it hard to get published in any large papers.

So was it "hubris" when Obama decided to run for President after 143 days in the Senate? Why does the news media think that Sara Palin displays "hubris" in accepting the VP nomination while Obama's run for President heralds "a new kind of politics?" Isn't that a huge double standard? Sarah Palin is the chief executive of a state - the most popular governor in the entire country. She has much more reason to feel confident than Obama, who has never served in the military, never run a business, and has never governed a city or state.

You and the other Obama MSM surrogates are in a tailspin and you're grasping at straws trying to create negative journalism (if you can call it journalism) about Sarah Palin.

She's not the problem. Obama is.

Obama's the one who lies and you and his other surrogates let him get away with it.

Obama lied about Rev. Wright and his controversial sermons. On Olberman's show Obama said he did hear any and then the very next Tuesday at the Constitutional Ctr Obama says YES he did.

Obama lied about his relationship to Rezko. I've posted their ties together many times.

Ayers. Obama is now even going to the Justice Dept. to have an ad about him and Ayers stopped. Good luck. They go way back. And that mallarkey about only being 8 years when Ayers bombed the Pentagon. How old was Obama in 1995 when Obama had his first fundraiser in Ayers home, how about in 2001 when Ayers said in the NYT he wished he bombed more, or 2005 when Obama bought a house in Ayers neighborhood. Obama says their kids go to school together. One problem, Ayers are all grown up!

Obama's closest college friends, two Pakistanis. They now work in his campaign as his bundlers. Obama went to Pakistan when he was 20 with one of them and may have used an Indonesian passport. A lawsuit in US Federal Court is expediting Discovery and Depositions on Obama and Dean.

Need I go on? And here you are worrying about whether McCain's campaign said Palin stopped in Iraq or Ireland.

You and the other MSM are so steeped in the Obama goo, that you'll do anything to discredit Palin. And she's more experienced than your Obama. He's only spent 143 active days in the Senate. His career is unremarkable and his flip-flopping is legendary.

Obama and Rezko and Ayers and Wright and Frank Davis and Auchi and Alsammarae and Pakistani roommates and Iranian campaign chief. Do you notice a pattern?

When you and your "friends" get done in Alaska why don't you go to Chicago and do some real investigating!

The lady is good at that - not blinking when she lies - not blinking when she takes credits not rightfully hers . She took credit of vetoing the bridge to nowhere. Recently, in the interview with ABC , she even took credit from her son. The son made a decision to go into the army. He might choose or be chosen to go to Iraq. But she grasped the credit , saying “I sent my first born to Iraq”. Shame on you Panin, your son is not a 11 year old that you can tell him what to do. If you are so good at controlling the boy, how come you can not control your daughter?

Dionne is very concerned about Sarah Palin's "lack" of experience in foreign affairs. As if his hero Obama who is running for President has any!!!! How does it matter if Palin lacks this expertise? It is her experience in governance, holding positions of responsibility, track record of attainments and ability to learn that truly matter. She scores well on each of these criteria! Far better than Obama!

Palin appeals to the white conservative Christian crowd, more so women who identify with her. Her true value lies in her no nonsense attitude to life and ability to stand up to bullies of the left as well as big media. Her success in intimidating the Obama crowd as well as big media is evident from the shrill denunciation of her every move. Great news for McCain! Let Obama engage in a mud fight with the pitbull Palin. McCain will take the high road and win!

I guess E.J. Dionne and his colleagues in the MSM don't realize that the harder they squeeze Palin, the more voters will slip through their fingers. The MSM has completely lost its credibility on the Sara Palin issue with at least 50% of the American population. A lot of people will not listen to the MSM media anymore because of their initial smear attacks when she was announced as a VP candidate. Even worse, many people (like me) have now come to regard the MSM as a contrary indicator - anything that comes from them is automatically false and deceptive until proven otherwise.

Palin's media-induced lustre is beginning to fade as more and more Americans begin to look past her appearance to who she really is and what she actually stands for. Do we want a foreign policy challenged Sarah Palin a heartbeat from the presidency? Do women impregnated through rape or incest wish to be forced to carry such fetuses to term? Do we want Bible-thumping, war-mongering, fear-producing, book-banning Sarah in the White House with McCain who sings “bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran".

As John Cole put it: "Sarah Palin is the distilled essence of wingnut. She has it all. She is dishonest. She is a religious nut. She is incurious. She is anti-science. She is inexperienced. She abuses her authority. She hides behind executive privilege. She is a big spender. She works from the gut and places a greater value on instinct than knowledge."

Some comments suggest that the Post and others should not focus on Palin. Yet, she has billed herself as a "Pitbull."

We need the Press to find out about Palin for the following reasons...

1. not one of the readers here know about Palin but for about 3 weeks. We were fed outlandish lies about the "Perfect" Sarah Palin during the RNC.
Comparatively, Do you remember the lies about WMDs in Iraq? The press slept trough it and we end up spending more than $80 Billion of middle class taxpayers money.
-not one of the readers here knew that Sarah Palin sat at her Church pew while an anti-Jew Pastor spoke there before the Press stated it.
2. Not one of the readers here knew that Sarah Palin spent 300 days of working from home and billing them as overnights to the State of Alaska. Thanks to the Press we know.
3. List continues on her hiring of her friends, bridge-to-nowhere, trying to ban library books, saying she visited Iraq when she had not, etc...

But yet some readers here want us to treat the "Pitbull with kid gloves. Our economy, our education prospects, our budget deficits, our morality, our healcare, our jobs, our foreign policy - our Americanism requires all of us to research a candidate presented to us in less than a few weeks to the general election. It is not about Sarah Palin the GOP VP candidate. It is about being properly informed. If she was a Democrat, the same people (hypocrites) would be all over her record.

Palin should be free to be checked out - inside and out just like everyone else running for major office. With McCain being the oldest ever to win the nominiation, plus with his brushes with cancer - it is MANDATORY that we look at the VP person too! It's highly possible that Palin COULD be our next president! Yet, the people in Alaska are not allowed to speak to the Media and all media calls to Alaska must be directed to the Gov's office - what's up with that???? What are they afraid may come out?

Someone mentioned Obama didn't get checked out - come on...you guys can't be serious with that one. That's too dumb for me to even comment on! The man was explaining his every move, decision - for MONTHS!

Lastly, Palin will not under go the same scrutiny that Hillary did because she's pretty, younger and the media is falling all over her and so is America. I say that AS a woman, it's sexist at it's best!

one of the great untold stories of the Sarah Palin "appointment" is just how slavishly the right wing of the Republican Party and all the one issue (abortion/gay right/take your choice) supporters has stumbled all over themselves to embrace the candicacy of a woman with the thinnest of resumes.

Why?

Could it be because the neo-conservative and religous fundamentalists care more about theology than about governance? Could it be that they are willing to overlook an obvious lack of proven competence in exchange for religious purity? Or could it be that they are so blinded by idealogy they would put into office a woman who is on the record stating that "God" wants us in Iraq?
(BTW her explanation of this comment to Charly Gibson was a total fabrication and witout any basis in fact; otherwise known as a "lie" or something Jesus adised us against doing, so maybe "hypocricy" is another of her strengths!)

God save us, yes, God save us from a party which would be so cynical and craven to put this woman into a position to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office.

This has reached comical proportions. Palin said she visited troops in KUWAIT (to vist troops fighting in the Iraq war), and it turns out - gasp - she ONLY went to Kuwait! LIES LIES LIES!

Palin's next big lie revealed tomorrow:

MSM: Did you go to work on the day of April 10, 1998?
Palin: Yes, why?
MSM: But I have a contact who saw you at the gas station, that very day!
Palin: Well, gee, I think I did stop for gas on the way home.
MSM: AHA - LIAR! You clearly didn't just go to work that day. How many other places did you go, and how many more half-truths have you spouted since?

In relation to Palin a good case is being made that says she is an unsuitable VP.

If he believes in change rather than treating the electorate as mushrooms that should be kept in the dark and fed bull s--t then he should offer his answer very quickly without journalists having to extract his reasons.

Palin has shown that she is not a profound thinker and is not well informed about national and international issues. She has little operational know how on the ways and means that control government ooperations. Many of us think that she is a dud.

McCain has an opportunity to overturn the negative thoughts that millions hold about Palin. He can be responsible or irresponsible.

The night he finally defeated Hillary, Obama said that: "this was the moment when... the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal".

So, if E.J. and his pals at the WP are serious about holding candidates accountable for their words, they should ask Obama why he allowed hurricanes Gustav and Ike be formed in the Atlantic Ocean and hit the U.S.

America, I am a new voter and I just want to say - please vote for McCain/Palin because you truly believe that they will RUN our country the BEST! And make America BETTER. Do not turn away from Obama because he's half black either.

The McCain camp has run a very ugly campaign very different from the one he said he would run. Just because Obama won't do the Town Hall meetings is NO REASON whatsoever to use LIES and NAME calling like a 7 year old child who didn't get his way. That's not INTEGRITY.

I am an independent - and I want what's best for ALLLL America. I hope we will get it right this time and don't allow LIES or RACISM to stand in our way. Our future depends on this.

What we do know is the the Republican apparatus will abuse the First Amendment and cow reporters and journalists into going soft on Palin. This time these media folks need to ignore this effort and do their job. Report everything there is to know about Palin, good and bad equally.

Given the information dribbling out the last few days, I think most will be bad.

EJ The key is at what point the serious journalists--and there still are some--will recognize the exent to which they are being scammed, manipulated, and insulted by the McPalin campaign. The phony outrage will ultimately lose its impact because it is being expended on silly and trivial things--at least that is what I expect. Strangely, the beginning of that will be in the popular culture--such as the Tina Fey rendition of Palin on SNL last night. "I can see Russia from my house" should become an Obama campaign theme.
The main thing is that the lies are crude, transparent, and clumsy. Sooner or later, there will be a backlash--and all one can hope is that it will come soon enough to make a difference in the voting. But it will come.
The key might well be the Troopergate report that--when compounded with her history of cronyism and vindictiveness, as reported in the NYT--will provide the footing for addressing her character in purely policy terms. She is obviously a very superficial person, with neither the intellect, knowledge, or depth to serve in the office, particularly not when there's a real chance she could end up in the oval office. Once there, she could well put the capstone on the catastrophe that has been George W. Bush.
In any event, if the media coninues to be cowed and mesmerized, we can at least put to rest the myth of the liberal media.
Don't let up calling for the same kind of relentless scrutiny and treatment that Hillary received. Perhaps someone will recognize that the Republican slime machine has called "sexism" more times in three weeks than Senator Clinton did in 20 months.

It's the tabloid curiosity that most of us find most troubling. Just because some one is running for office or in public eye doesn't mean that that person's private and family life, nothing to do with his/her ability to do the public or official work, is open for brutal intrusion. Most of the mainstream media follows this most of the time, but there have been lapses.

It does, however, get a bit tricky when that 'official' person brings the private and family life in public, or emphasizes it in the 'official' business. There lines begin to blur.

Palin's family is and should be off-limit. She is the person chosen by McCain to run with him. When Palin says she admires Hillary Clinton, she (Palin) has to also look at how much close scrutiny did Hillary receive over the years.

If McCain didn't "vet" her adequately, it's the responsibility of the press to do the job for us. After all, she'll be a heartbeat away from McCain, if he gets elected. But this "vetting" should leave her children and family out.

Like many others, I find it creepy how Obama says that he is going to "change the country" and "remake the world." While that's nice rhetoric, it really boils down to bigger entitlement programs, war on the business community, and higher taxes. I am one of those who believes America is on the wrong track, but that's because of creeping socialism, dependence on government, and an ever-growing sense of entitlement among left-wingers.

What we do know is the the Republican apparatus will abuse the First Amendment and cow reporters and journalists into going soft on Palin. This time these media folks need to ignore this effort and do their job. Report everything there is to know about Palin, good and bad equally.

Given the information dribbling out the last few days, I think most will be bad.

Dionne: You're such a biased hack writer. There's a big difference between Palin and Hillary. Palin didn't even say she went to Iraq, an unnamed aide to her said it. Unlike Hillary, who not only said that she came under sniper fire, she gave vivid details about it. Heck, even Sinbad called her a liar and I thought that he died in 1985.

EJ, You're lack of journalist integrity is apalling that you would try and throw this in acting like they're the same thing. I also like how you made it sound like the elitist media is not going after Palin...nice touch.

All of these lies are a giant warning sign that things are not as they appear. At this time more than any other, we need trustworthy and competent individuals to steer our federal government. With the Wall Street meltdown, which even the Maestro says is the worst financial crisis in 100 years, it's just not going to do to have a hockey mom and a guy that doesn't know anything about the economy and relies on the economic advisors that got us into this mess.

Sarah Palin may be the Republicans new Bridge to Nowhere. Once her lies, evasions and radical ideas become better known it will be clear what an impulsive gambler John McCain really is. Talk about putting yourself before country, can he really believe that her being second in line to an aging president is good for our country! I don't think so, but he may have gone too far on this one!

The Republicans have wrecked this country for the past eight years. McPalin's interview was proof she shares the same incompetency the current Republican administration has proved over the past eight years. Vote on the issues like education, health care, and the economy. Vote for real change, change we can believe in.

Decent job EJ of trying to swing some attention to Palin's deficits. Rest assured that is being taken care of with or without your musings. The fact that the old media with it's lap dog styles are becoming very dated and boring. McCain is being handled. So is Obama. They are a product of the machine that is our ruling class today. Report on that - Anyone can write an essay about how unfair it was or is for some candidate that the people really had very little say so in nominating. It does not matter one whit who wins in Nov. It will be just more of the same. Just different ways to move us cattle along to the slaughter house. Why not look into the real stories behind the scenes. I dare you to, rather than opining on which woman is the wicked witch of east and which one is the wicked witch of the west. Believe it or not, some of us don't buy the story that McCain himself[?!] just picked someone out of the blue and didn't do his research. How patronizing of you to assume that we would believe such ilk. Kudos to all the media, left and right for making a good living, feeding out the party lines to the minions who are to simple-minded to care or even understand. The old news gang needs to retire or buck up against the their own handlers. But no one will , and off we go down the happy yellow brick road still looking for both courage and a brain.
Whistling more of the same, more of the same...............................

I am sure that sooner or later this little tantrum will be deleted. It might p!55 someone off.

Oh yeah, and do you really want a guy to be President who can't run a marketing campaign that can beat the Republicans> The Republican party is barely breathing and this guy can't pull it together with unlimited resources and run a competent campaign. it's really a joke.

Just how much time has Palin actually spent working. A June 29 story in the Anchorage paper appears to say that she took the whole summer off. "Stapleton wouldn't say exactly where Alaska's first family is right now, citing security reasons. But the Palins will travel this summer, and spend time fishing, and plan to return to Juneau this fall."

Has Obama picked a running mate yet? I've been looking over the news sites and I can't find anything. I'm interested to know who it will be. It will be fun to watch that person get raked over the coals like Sarah Palin has been for the past two weeks. Shouldn't Obama have picked his running mate already? I'm scanning the news for any hint of who it might be.

Mr. Dionne,
I watched Sara Palin on television say that she went to Kuwait, not Iraq.
The only deceitfulness here is with columnists such as yourself that dish out a daily dose of character assassination.

As much as I like Obama to win this election, I will not mind if he loses. This is democracy and if people (white working women) will vote for Sarah Palin because she is a white woman that is okay with me. We will see what happens. You live by the sword, you die by the sword.
Sarah Palin will be a fool's gold for those who make the claim 'she is like one of us.

Just go back to the first time McCain introduced her. He actually read her name off a cue card. He looked like he was struggling to not pronounce her name wrong. He was clueless about her then and must be kicking himself for getting into this problem now. The lies keep mounting. I can't expose her. You have got to circle your coworkers and do your jobs. Eight more years of this mess and we will all be goners!

Thank you SO MUCH for saying what needs to be said. This has been like "The Emperor's New Clothes"! Nobody will come out and challenge all the lies and truth-stretching that is going on w/ McCain/Palin.

I don't guess it will matter much--it would appear that most Americans, newly bedazzled by this person, are prepared to overlook anything at all about her--presumably because she represents the fundamentalist, conservative right wing in ways that exceeded their greatest hopes.

But at least it is good to know someone is trying to address the travesty that is occurring. Yes, things that occurred to Hillary possibly lost her the nomination. What they are saying about Sarah isn't seeming to make a dent in the hard-heads that are simply caught in the Palin trance.

Why doesn't the media point out that Obama has spent more time campaigning for president than actually serving as a state senator. I think that there is a need to fix a lot of issues within the country but not go off to any extreme like Obama is proposing. Obama plans to go back to the old Keynesian way of running an economy that were proved to be ineffective in the long run. Out of all the Nobel laureates at the university of Chicago who could teach him how markets work he still thinks that the government should take over. Just because his economic adviser works at the university it should be noted that Obama is a person with extreme views which could be extremely deleterious to the country(more so than mccain). It is a question of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Right on EJ. The holes in Sarah Palins claims are laughable. What is even more sad is how the Republicans have all chosen to turn a blinds eye to it. If this was a Obama or Clinton the media and the Republicans would have been all over them. The fact is the Republicans have RUN THIS COUNTRY INTO THE GROUND! They can't change that.

How low a blow "Anonymous" spews out when he mentions Sarah Palin takes credit for her son going to Iraq but can't control her own 17 year old daughter who is pregnant out of wedlock. Sir,apparently you have no daughters or you would not have made that rude comment. Any one can instill all the character and respect in their child...not to mention Christianity...and the same thing can and does often happen any way!
I honestly hope this never happens to your daughter(s) if you have daughters. Sounds like you would be the first at running your daughter down to the local abortion clinic instead of taking the higher road as Sarah Palin did
and never once thought of abortion. Her decision about her daughter's pregnancy tells me that she was and is willing to love her daughter as always and is very willing to love that grandchild now and once it is born. Some people are so "embarrassed" when this happens to a child of theirs that all they think about is themselves and what other people think. Sarah Palin and her husband did not choose the "easy" way out and for that I commend her and her husband.

That's the question I keep asking myself. My view of the candidates is so diametrically opposed to the vast majority of independents. I used to like McCain, but I guess I never really knew him. He seems like such a low life panderer to me now, and his pick of the wafer-thin, far right, truth-twisting Palin seems further evidence of this in addition to being completely unpatriotic (like choosing a trainee as the co-pilot of a jumbo jet). But the independents apparently think otherwise, flocking to Palin/McCain in droves for his supposed maverick-osity.

And then I remember that I had this feeling 8 years ago, and then again 4 years ago. And look where the country is now. And I realize I'm not the one who's crazy, a comforting thought until I realize what that means for the folks considering voting for another 4 years of Repubs.

The weirdest thing is the way she keeps repeating her lies even after they've been debunked. When it came out that Hillary's story was a fabrication she backed down from it, but Palin continues claiming she told Congress, "Thanks but no thanks to that bridge to nowhere." It's bizarre. The fact is that she supported it until Congress cut the funds, and even then she kept the money. She's lying. Repeatedly. It's about time the media started saying so.

McCain hasn't been much better. He also continues to repeat the bridge lie, plus he dishonestly accuses Barack Obama of calling Palin a pig and says Obama supported "teaching sex to kindergartners." All lies. All lies that have been conclusively debunked but which he keeps repeating.

Honesty counts, folks, and the Palin/McCain ticket doesn't even appear to know what the word means.

If the right wing had nothing to fear about Palin and her record I can think of one phrase we'd be hearing from every corner of the lad:

"BRING IT ON!!"

Instead we hear about how people will now boycott ABC for the crimes Gibson committed against their girl who as manly men they feel the need to protect like a wolf protecting its cubs (so Palin can shoot them from a helicopter for sport.)

What I see is sexism of the most blatant and obvious kind and ti is all coming from the GOP and its supporters.

All McCain said in his speech at the convention was how he survived the POW camp.He detailed every agonizing detail!
Great! We really appreciate what he endured for the sake of his country. If that is the best qualification he has to be the President of the United States, well, all I can say is "God save America".Maybe, we should erect a monument for him instead!
And Sarah Palin... we are still getting to know where she came from!

It's not just the lies. It's that they keep lying even when it's proved that they are lying. The bridge to nowhere. The pig in lipstick. Visiting troops in the 'combat zone.' Saying she never denied human activities played a role in global warming. Saying she was referencing an Abraham Lincoln quote when she said the Iraq war was a task from God. Accusing Obama of wanting to teach sex to kindergartners....

All those are things she and McCain are STILL saying!!! They are like children caught with cookie crumbs all over their faces while standing there and STILL denying they ate any cookies.

People say Obama supporters are scared. We are. All Americans should be terrified of the thought of those two liars in the Oval office. Whatever happened to the days when politicians only blatently lied about sex? Lie about sex all you want... but these two are ridiculous!

If Obama ever got caught in even one lie they'd be talking about it for months. Shoot, they obsessed about Rev. Wright, something his minister had said years ago, for TWO MONTHS!

It's about time they started paying attention to the many lies already told by the Palin/McCain ticket. If they are held to the same standard Obama has been held to then the media shouldn't be talking about anything else for the next two years.

What a bunch of whoooooie spewing here.
PaaaaLeeeessse! If the arrogant candidate from the other side would have just picked you-know-who these discussions would be irrelevant and non-existing. He should fire all of his handlers for mis-direction - Biden will be such a patsy and when he mis-speaks - look-out - because he will - but we won't hear about it because the liberal biased media will avoid reporting this to the people. This country deserves what Osama-bama will deliver to this country - socialism - bigger government... IN YOUR FACE government telling you when to breathe, eat, blink.
Bunch of ROBOTS that need the government to tell you all that "THE PEOPLE" can do much better without being told how,when,where.
You asked for it....you will get it! ENJOY the utter mess a socialistic government will govern you. Look at the Socialist governments around the world, Netherlands, Holland for example. No Welfare in Holland. You want a check - they find you a job - you may not like the job they find for you either - like building roads, etc.
If this is so wonderful, why are so many of them coming to America. Because we were FREE - those freedoms are eroding - government seems to know better how I can raise my family, manage my money, get education for my children. I am for LESS GOVERNMENT - SMALLER GOVERNMENT - not giving checks to everyone because they are not looking for work - who do you think is paying for welfare - the middle class does. You and me! Cast your vote for the socialist on Nov. 4th - don't look back though to those times when you had freedom to choose.

Forget all the natter and chatter about Palin's prevarications and McCain's exaggerations. There's a very basic question we ask of all our national representatives that hasn't been addressed here regarding Ms. Palin. Goes something like:
"So, you want to run for office....have you ever been in trouble with the law?"

Palin plead no contest to a felony charge for operating an illegal drift net in 1993. The McCain campaign would like to pass this felony record off as equivalent to a simple traffic ticket. It was not, and it is not. How does the press justify letting Palin pass unquestioned about having a felony on her criminal record?

Nice Work. This is right on. Let's see if people want to face the facts or if they will make excuses for Palin or continue the exaggerations.

For those of you whining/crying about how the media is making a big deal about Palin's foreign policy experience remember that McCain and Palin made all the initial claims about her alleged trips. Further, remember that it takes more than advisers to make thoughtful, intelligent decisions. If I remember correctly, a bunch of moron Republicans were making the same arguments about Bush and his advisers back in '00.

The author mentioned the beating Hillary CLinton took on the Bosnia story and ponders if Sarah Palin will get the same. He goes on to say that Charlie Gibson was much tougher on Barack Obama.

Clearly this male is way out of touch. The media has already been crucifying Palin in the same mean spirited and prejudiced manner that they did with Hillary Clinton.

Yet Barack Obama contiues to get a complete pass on all questions of his past - nobody mentions Rev. Wright, Trinity Church, or Father Flegler - just to name a few.

It is purely sexist as it is okay to be publicly malicious towards women but completely unacceptable to hold a man to the same level of accountability and abuse.

Come on WOMEN - WAKE UP! Civil Rights achieved a higher level of success because diverse individuals came together on one issue - equal opportunity for blacks. It is time for women to come together on one issue - equal opportunity for women. If we contiue to be so easily divided and controlled this kind of media mistreatment will never end and we will always earn less money while suffering greater prejudice and discrimination.

You lived in Europe for four years and do not know their political thinking? Why so incurious? In any event, your obvious willful ignorance of international affairs, is fine for you - but not for someone who may be President.

Posted by: wonder | September 14, 2008 7:13 PM

I lived in Europe for four years, too, and never learned their political thinking. But then, I was only seven years old when I returned to the States...

I have picked up a few things along the way since. It's just not that hard to do.

It makes sense that news media are digging hard into Ms. Palin's background and experience more than the other candidates. They've already been vetted like crazy, while the governor has just fallen off the turnip truck.

Oh MY!!! Do we really want to get into all the felony records of our elite Senators and Congressman - Governors? The lists are long and DIRTY. Oh boy! The mud slinging would cover East to West SOLID. What a field day that would be. Wish we could get rid of the whole bunch and get some REAL people in DC that actually repesent "THE PEOPLE" instead on their special interests and lobbyists. Smaller Government - try working for a living - paying taxes - get off of the FREE TRAIN and start being a contributing member of society. Why should they - our government takes care of them just fine. Becoming the Welfare Country. Great!

Palin will become a liability to John McCain very soon.. I am curious to see the actual polling numbers by this coming Wednesday..the pollsters have been fudging the methodology for conducting the polls as Democrats are 11 million registered voters (and people identifying themselves as Democrats) ahead of Republicans..300,000 newly registered Democrats in Ohio alone..

I'm not sure why Palin is such a hero to so many when they probably had not heard of her two weeks ago and we still know little or nothing about her other than she gives a pretty good speech while crinkling her nose.

The press was obnoxiously tough on Senator Clinton. Bet they regret that now, big time.

But Palin is not getting any more of a pass than Obama did. Nothing seemed to stick about Obama, nor did the media ever press him on much. Allegations went unchecked, whatever. Why is now the time to pick on Sarah. She is just as inexperienced as Obama.

Look, the truth is the choices just ain't much this round. But we gotta vote for someone. Might as well get a beauty queen in there!

After 19-23 months of campaigning you have people that say they still don't know everything about Obama. So how are they going to know Sarah Palin in 50+ days. If she would answer questions maybe we might be able to know something about her policies and views

Come on folks think. The Rove spinsters with their misreprentations, distortions and outright lies led you astray in the last two presidental elections and look at the results. The Republicans had total control of the legistrative process for seven years and they took yhe economy fro a

``While working at Mother Teresa's orphanage in the early 1990s, I stumbled upon the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen,'' she said. ``She had a terrible cleft palate. She had problems with her feet. She had problems with her hands. She had all kinds of problems.``As only Mother Teresa can, she prevailed upon me to take this baby and another baby to the United States for medical care.''

It was on a trip to Bangladesh in 1991 that she adopted Bridget. On Friday she recounted to voters in Missouri and Illinois how Mother Teresa persuaded her to return home with the child. "I just could not let her go. The only thing was, I had not told my husband. When I got back, he asked me 'Where will she go?' and I said: 'I thought she could come to our house.'

It was big of the McCains to Adopt Bridget, but they never met Mother Theresa, why did they have to lie about that?

``While working at Mother Teresa's orphanage in the early 1990s, I stumbled upon the most beautiful little girl I'd ever seen,'' she said. ``She had a terrible cleft palate. She had problems with her feet. She had problems with her hands. She had all kinds of problems.``As only Mother Teresa can, she prevailed upon me to take this baby and another baby to the United States for medical care.''

It was big of the McCains to Adopt Bridget, but they never met Mother Theresa, why did they have to lie about that?

Bert in RI: it is public knowledge that McCain chose Lieberman as his running mate. but the extreme wing of the RMC forced him to change. We don't know yet what the details were, whether he readily agreed to Palin or initially objected, strongly or otherwise. However, one thing is clear: if he truly had the best interest of the country in mind, he would have been a real hero and a real maverick and not caved in. I doubt anyone put a gun to his head, but they told him "this is who we have, take it or leave it." And took it he did.

TiredOfIt: Obama did not turn down McCain on debating together at town-halls. He thought it was a good idea. Obama simply wanted to negotiate the number of town-halls. The McCain People proposed 10 (not including the formal debates). Obama's people looked at the short time between the conventions and the election and said, we can't do ten. How about 3 town-hall debates and 3 formal debates? McCain never counter-offered.

My own theory is that the whole town-hall thing was a deliberate setup to paint Obama as refusing to debate. For one thing, asking for such a high number of additional debates just isn’t practical, and McCain knows it. Another reason I doubt the sincerity of the McCain's offer, is that with all the still accruing damage of Bush's two terms (and pre the additional "Reformer" charade, when the offer was made) I doubt the McCain people felt very confident McCain would come out on top.

The author mentioned the beating Hillary CLinton took on the Bosnia story and ponders if Sarah Palin will get the same. He goes on to say that Charlie Gibson was much tougher on Barack Obama.

Clearly this male is way out of touch. The media has already been crucifying Palin in the same mean spirited and prejudiced manner that they did with Hillary Clinton.

Yet Barack Obama contiues to get a complete pass on all questions of his past - nobody mentions Rev. Wright, Trinity Church, or Father Flegler - just to name a few.

It is purely sexist as it is okay to be publicly malicious towards women but completely unacceptable to hold a man to the same level of accountability and abuse.

Come on WOMEN - WAKE UP! Civil Rights achieved a higher level of success because diverse individuals came together on one issue - equal opportunity for blacks. It is time for women to come together on one issue - equal opportunity for women. If we contiue to be so easily divided and controlled this kind of media mistreatment will never end and we will always earn less money while suffering greater prejudice and discrimination.

VOTE YOUR GENDER - scare the media.

Posted by: McCain Democrat | September 14, 2008 10:16 PM

*******************************************

Wow..how pathetic..Father Pflager made one appearance at the Trinity United Methodist Church that Obama is no longer a member of..Pastor Wright was invited to the White House by Bill Clinton during the dark days of the Republican witch hunt that ws the Monica Lewinsky scandal..

Your right wing talking points given to you by Sean Hannity aren't working..

Women are not stupid..they know what Sarah Palin is all about and real Hillary supporters will never support Sarah Palin..

I suggest that you take a look at the YouTube video of the recent antiPalin rally in Ancorage .. Palin drew 1,000 people to her rally that day..the antiPalin rally in front of the library drew more than 1,400 people which is unheard of in Alaska..and some of them are former Palin supporters..

The right wing radio host in Ancorage that called the antiPalin rally organizers "left wing baby killing maggots", has been suspended and we intend to see to it that he is fired...we are not putting up with any more right wing garbage..enough is enough..

It should be obvious to everyone now that McCain developed a strong skill set while in captivity all those years. Those were to present false information to his captors, and to lie, deceive, misdirect, and parse. He is still using those skills, however, no longer on his Vietnamese jailors, rather on the American people.

Do women realize that McPain-Palin will appoint justices to reverse Roe v. Wade? Our kids will be hunting the back alleys for illegal abortionists wielding coathangers. Nobody remembers? Is everyone as memory-challenged as good old John McCain?

George Bush is a vivid example of why there is a need to have intelligent, experienced elected VPs and Presidents. He is a rube who has made disterous mistake after disaterous mistake on domestic and foreign policy. His advisors have steered him into a ditch. Pailin is trying to fake her knowledge by memorizing note cards. What's really scaring is that her uneducated husband could actually become an advisor. I guess being a snowmobile racer and North Slope Oil Worker has prepared him to advise the VP. The hyppcrisy of white conservatives is laughable. You can be an uneducated, provincial and be qualified for a spot on the national ticket as a Republican. Yet, you question the experience of a Senator from Illinois who has excelled at every stop. Racism in any form is still racism.

And on and on and on. The Republicans are singing the same old song that got half the people(almost) in line with George Bush. He's Godly and determined and holds to his path. Gore was a liar, Kerry was a liar, wishy-washy, elite, and married a rich second wife. So McCain finished in the bottom five at Annapolis, but he flew his plane into a missile and stood up to torture, until he didn't, and then married a richsecond wife.. So once more lets elect the stubborn dummy(at least this one is not as dumb as the last one)and the first VP beauty contest contestant(She's so like us girls) and watch the same old stuff happen for another 4-8 years. Because Obama is too smart, thinks before he acts(mostly), and did well in school.And is probably elite. And the Chinese and russians will love it as we go the way of Lehman Brothers, Merril Lynch and the rest of the capitalists.

This Woman To Nowhere does not now and never will speak for me. I keep wishing for a huge backlash, but I'm not seeing it. On Saturday there was an Anti-Palin rally held by Alaska Women Against Palin in Anchorage. 1500 people showed up. Isn't that, like, half the population of Alaska? Every stae needs to organize such a rally .. TODAY!

EJ Dionne is totally correct in his article. Because Joe Biden failed to attribute a quote in one appearance in his bid for President in 1988, he was literally forced to bow out of that campaign. The media attention on that one small "nothing" was all it took.

Now, we have decended to the depths of flat out lying. The media are afraid to attack Palin because of the threats of bias by the right-wingers. What a farce. I ask that the media attack Palin like they did Biden. In fact, I saw a reference in the CNN program Saturday night to an EJ Dionne article that factored into the Biden attacks in 1988.

Palin has lied. There is no doubt in my mind. The facts are very plain.

A beauty contestant in a state where oil money subsidizes just about every aspect of government and populace is no real test for experience for a person running for VP. Her responses to Charles Gibson were very revealing.

The religious right position is not respected when the primary candidate is a patent liar. Actually, after his appearance on "The View," John McCain established beyond doubt his liar credentials as well.

My neighbor is a hockey. She hasn't traveled much and is active in the PTA. She also sold a few toys on Ebay and she's a great person. However, this does not qualify her to be a VP candidate. Let's be serious, to compare Palin against Hillary would be an insult to Hillary's qualification. We are in a deep economic crisis and engaged in two wars. We deserve to have smart, educated and experienced leaders. Palin reminds me of a dumber version of Bush. I'm afraid to imagine a world where she become the "Decider".

Let's see: She left Wasilla 25 million dollars in debt, she charged rape victims for the rape kits, she kept the money for the Bridge to Nowhere and continues to lie about her initial support for it, she charged the state per diem to the tune of 17 thousand, even though she was living at home... it's endless. Stay on her, she's an empty suit. We are just finishing up with one, and it's been a disaster.

flyovercountry51, you misread my question. I didn't ask about senators, congressmen or governors and their respective criminal records, though if you'd care to post a list with specifics about them I'd be most appreciative.

I asked why the press ignores a most basic question we ask of our leaders and instead focuses on less disqualifying issues.

Sarah Palin has a felony on her record, for operating an illegal drift net in a protected fishery in Bristol Bay in 1993. Plain and simple. Not a traffic ticket. A felony. I don't recall any other national executive candidate in living memory, successful or otherwise, with a felony record. And not a peep from the press. Why not?

It is obvious why McCain chose "unheard of " Palin. He thought that was the only way he could get Hillary's women voters.
"Desperate times call for desperate measures"!!
Does he think that women are STUPID?????

Blah, blah, blah... whether you like her or not, she is definately making a positive impact on the Republican agenda. Better to focus on winning rather than on whinning. Sounds like a rehearsal for "why we lost again".

McCainDemocrat wrote:
"Yet Barack Obama contiues to get a complete pass on all questions of his past - nobody mentions Rev. Wright, Trinity Church, or Father Flegler - just to name a few."

Someone's been in a coma the past two years. The media obsessed over Wright for two solid months, and that was just something his Rev. had said a few years ago.

In this case we have a candidate who has been caught lying--repeatedly--and CONTINUES TO REPEAT THE SAME LIES EVEN AFTER SHE'S BEEN BUSTED!

Obama's past has been sooooo thoroughly examined it must have felt like a public colonoscopy. His grade school essays were trotted out for public discussion. His friends from the first and second grade were interviewed. His faith was questioned. His blackness was questioned. He was called a 'magic negro.' Rezko, Ayers, etc... people who he had merely come into contact with were dragged out for public discussion.

So spare me the whining about how unfair the media is being towards Palin. Whaaaaa! She's a liar who keeps on lying even after she's been caught and the press are being unbelievably gentle on her. It's time for the media to start doing their jobs and really pointing out the consistant dishonesty coming from Sarah Palin and John McCain.

What does it say about our country when McCain can run a mean-spirited, dishonest, and ruthless campaign and voters' positive perception of him and his ability to run the country go up? And, Palin, a newcomer on the national scene, from her first speech (written by a Bush speechwriter, not her own thoughts) is condescending and sarcastic - yet her positive numbers are through the roof? Have we become like the Romans, enjoying watching Gladiators tear each other up and fight to the death?

As someone who tries to live my life with honesty, fair play, and compassion for others, I feel dismayed that so many Americans are so uncivil and hostile now. There seems to be no collective sense of humanity. All you have to do is read these posts and the majority are nothing more than name-calling and fighting. What happened to productive disagreement and critical thought?

You're crazy to think her inexperience and her lies will become a big issue in this campaign.

Voters don't care. Voters are, as Bush said, sheep and they will follow the herd. Obama has been made out to be an elitist and someone who is not exactly like us. Palin has been made out to be one of us. That's what all this is about.

What, when, where, why, and how...that's what I want to know. I don't care about mooseburgers... with or without cheese, lipstick...no matter the shade, or her crown...whether it was plastic or teflon...Give me the facts...specifics and details on their platform for America. If we allow this to be some 60's culture war, we all lose because we will have allowed the most important issues of our generation to go ignored. I'm tired of the babble. It's time for action and solutions without the B.S. filter.

Remember the time when all we heard was Obama's lack of experience?
All you need to run a country is ...BRAINS,and he plenty of that.
Wasn't it all these EXPERIENCED people who voted for this war which has cost this country nearly 5000 precious lives and trillions of dollars?
Wasn't it the INEXPERIENCED Obama who not only voted against it but foretold exactly what would happen with the different islamic sects?

bloggod, I feel your pain. State office in Alaska, including the Alaskan governorship, is accessible to ex-felons upon completion of sentence/probation/parole, thus Sarah Palin's felony conviction didn't disqualify her there. You just have to be a registered voter. It's ironic that the Republican Party would embrace an ex-felon so eagerly and unflinchingly, considering their recent and current actives and attempts to disqualify eligible voters with less egregious criminal histories. It's shameful that our comprimised press plays 'eat the clock' and ignores this basic question of personal integrity that they ask of all other national candidates.

"Government has got to get out of the way, in some respects, of the private sector, ... That's got to be the principal here, reform government, recognize that it's not government to be looked at to solve all the problems."

And then, a few minutes later:

"We have got to make sure that we reform the oversight, also, of the agencies, including the quasi-government agencies, like Freddie and Fannie, those things that have created an atmosphere here in America where people are fearful of losing their homes."

The same scrutiny Hillary got? You mean how everyone on the left always assumed that the First Lady of Arkansas and then the First Lady of the US was always qualified to do anything she wanted no matter how little her real experience? The left was crazy over Hillary when she was married to a governor of a small, southern state. Palin actually is a governor.

It's time to take it to the streets, people, if the conservative media continues to give a free pass to Palin and McCain (excuse me, McCain and Palin... that's how it goes, right?).

It's time to organize protests outside the major news offices in NY and LA. Simple letters to the editor won't do the trick. Controlled riots should get their attention.

Posted by: Time for Americans to step up for TRUTH | September 14, 2008 11:38 PM
| Report abuse

Hillary Clinton, in 20 years of public life, was caught lying exactly once.

Sarah Palin, in less than two weeks, has been caught lying at least 3 times. Bridge to nowhere? Congress stopped that. Combat zone in Iraq? She was never there. Humans causing global warming? She DID deny that.

My god, everyone in America should read this. It's just the bottom line.

This election is a joke for Republicans. They've dishonored the country with this garbage.

McCain is a sad sad little man. I pray enough Americans get to read these kinds of statements from our press... or that little tyrant is going to be the leader of the free world. And Palin would be next.

As Matt Damon said about the new Hollywood Queen, Palin... It's like a bad disney movie... it's absurd.

To check out the morality of John McCain, read the article at http://www.snopes.com/politics/mccain/carol.asp. Strange how history repeats itself. McCain double crossed his first wife, lied about it, made sure that the one he did it with was a rich beauty queen.....and now, ANOTHER beauty queen??? Come on, McCain is clearly blinded by the fact that Palin is pretty. Would he have selected a male running mate with the same credentials that Sarah Palin has?? I think not. Mayor of a town of less than 9,000 and less than two years of governing a state with less population than Wichita, KS. And during that time, if someone didn't agree with her, she got rid of them and replaced them with yes men. If she would ever get into the presidency, she could not possibly use that technique in dealing with Congress or with foreign world leaders. Perhaps she should have tried to be diplomatic instead of autocratic. Lack of foreign policy awareness in the prospective Republican pair is scary. Little or no awareness of the condition of the domestic economy is even more scary. Even Alan Greespan says that our country can't afford the tax cuts of the magnitude proposed by McCain without a corresponding reduction in government spending. Since the Ronald Reagan era, Republicans have run our federal debt into the ground. The last time we had a balanced budget was during the Clinton presidency. It will take the Democrats more than two terms in office to get our country back on the right track fiscally. And throughout that time the Republicans will blame anything and everything that happens on the Democrats. I can't believe that anybody in their right mind would think that the McCain/Palin ticket is the right choice in 2008.

If it people actually take the time to look at this supposedly qualified candidate for VP, they would realize that this is the biggest joke played on the American public yet. Qualified? She's the governor of a popular cruise ship destination. Her experience with foreign leaders consists of her being able to "see Russia from Alaska" ... her words, not mine. She hired her friends to public office, The head of agriculture got her $100,000 a year position because she "liked cows"... again, these are not my words. She tried to ban books from the library and then fired the librarian who wouldn't do it. Ditto when she didn't like the chief of police. Anyone happen to catch her interview with Charles Gibson on ABC? She had no clue what he was talking about and everything she talks about is brought back to something to do with Alaska... I'm sorry, is she running for VP of Alaska? Who Cares?!
The reason she is on the ticket is glaringly bright. She's a WOMAN and Hilary Clinton is not on the ticket. It's a deplorable tactic that assumes Americans are so gullable and easily led that women, who by the way, were not McCains strongest supporters, would be swayed to vote for him because there is a woman on the ticket. Seriously?
Don't get me wrong, I have nothing again women... I am one. I would love nothing more than to see a strong, qualified, intelligent, capable woman in office... this one.... I'm afraid she's not it. Please people...WAKE UP!!! America needs to change or I'm terrified of what the future holds... for all of us and so should you be. 4 more years of a policy that has crippled a country is NOT what America or the rest of the world needs.

I really am curious about one thing from all of you Hillary supporters who are so concerned about qualifications. Please tell me how someone who is either a.) deluded or b.) flat-out lying about dodging bullets on a runway can in anyway be qualified to be President? How could a whopper that big not be disqualifying? You that are not wanting to "count" a refueling stop in Ireland as actually "being" in Ireland -- how can you be upset about that, but rationalized away Hillary's whopper?

I been reading a couple of blogs and I find the discussion of Senator Barack's medical records not being advailble for scrutiny quite amusing. Obviously a majority of the GOP slept during the democratic primary. With this in mind Mr. Obama is in excellent health and has been recommended to continue his daily workouts and continue to increase his ruffage intake. Recommendation: Please do a search for Obama's Medical records release or go to the candidate website before harping that their is no transparency (release time 4/08). Although I think it is quite hilarious to be so anxious to review Sen. Obama's records when he is 47 and McCain is 73. Really do you not know the bell curve for aging. You should it is quite obvious, you dont have to be an academic to understand it. Increase in age= increase in chronic and acute disease. GOP base you are showing your ignorance. Tsk tsk.

It's about honesty and character and we're seeing that Palin has a lot less than the McCain camp is trying to portray; probably more though than McCain. Hope the media is not bullied by hypocritical Repubs who really don't care about sexism or just about any other feminine issues. They just want to win at any cost. They are dragging America down and many Americans are too lazy or partisan to see it.

I love how Palin's the "big story". Here's the news flash, Dionne. As long as you're talking about Palin, you've cut down any chance Obama has at winning. When was the last story anybody read about Barry O.? Not since the RNC has anyone uttered two words about him. And since then, he has gone up 8 to down 2. The WP is falling victim to their own game...they want to sell papers by feeding their liberal readership, so they attack the VP candidate.

Come on. Is this what we're debating? Whether Palin is qualified to be VICE PRESIDENT? Al Gore and Dan Quayle did the job and they shouldn't have been running Dairy Queen franchises. Where are they now? Quayle is off on some compound somewhere wondering where it all went wrong and Gore has retooled himself as the Green Guy, although he uses more energy then anyone else in the world, except David Beckham. But Gore's job as VP must have been pretty taxing, he had 8 years and never came up with the Green Movement. Heck, I heard more about Tipper than I did Al during those 8 years.

In short, WP, if you want Barry to win, focus on McCain not Palin. I know Ruth Marcus would be out of job, but at least he'd have a chance.

What's the old saying: go for the head, the body will follow. You've repeatedly hit the Republican ticket in the arm, which is not sustaining any real damage, only easily healed bruises.

Amusing to see you comparing Palin's vetting to Hillary's, but nary a peep about the utter and complete lack of vetting of any kind to be visited upon Senator Obama for the job he's presented himself for.

Were he to be subject to the same scrutiny, at least half of his supporters might see the light.

But the press keeps it all to themselves. Don't want to ruin that thrill up the leg, or interefere with "the light worker."

Krauthammer said earlier this week about Obama that never has the gulf between adulation and achievement been so great as it is with Obama. You can say basically the same thing about Hillary too. And add on the fact that she is so unlikable that Dems and Republicans alike that weren't on the Bill Train (and that's not the conga line that was going on in the Oval Office during the Clinton administration) wanted her to go down. The sniper fire was just further proof of why people were predisposed not to like her.

Here's some vetting for you about Barry O. that you won't read in the Washington Post.

He has two members of his staff advising him on economic issues that ran Fannie May into the ground. The first, Jim Johnson was Chairman at Fannie Mae until he had to quit because of a great loan he got from Countrywide (the same load Sen Dodd got too). The other was Franklin Raines who collected roughly $50M in CEO pay from Fannie Mae. Many attribute the current crisis to the fact that he had to restate earnings down nearly 50% (roughly $3B) due to his creative accounting.

Palin got less than 115,000 votes for governor in 2006 - the biggest vote count she has received to date.
That she hopes to attract with McCain the 60 million plus votes they'll need to be competitive on November 4th, after barely two months of resisting public scrutiny, and her saying she had no hesitation to join the ticket when asked - all this is scary.
Add to that her quoting (see Frank Rich http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/14/opinion/14rich.html?hp ) Westbrook Pegler, a 1950s columnist, without attribution, possibly without her personal knowledge - lines from one of our country's early red-baiters, a man who inspired Joe McCarthy in the 1950s - that she's quoting fascist articles more than 50 years later - what are her handlers thinking? - that they can keep her under their spell? That she's some kind of dupe, that no-one will do a little fact checking?
This is beyond plagarism, this is political fraud...

Nobody who has dreams of becoming US president should ever dream of getting a pass from US media. That included Clinton and should include Palin - and all other future aspirant to WH.

Having said that, I hope that Obama-Biden address important issues during their ongoing campaign trail that need urgent attention and talk about solutions to these complex problems at every opportunity: Education, economy (including jobs/wages, mortgage crisis, credit crunch, budget/trade deficits), Iraq War, Patriot Act including human/civil rights violations, child care, global warning, global trade, decaying infrastructure, healthcare, energy policy, research & innovation and the gradual, insidious decline of a great nation through ideological management, corruption and policies based on religion/superstition rather than logic/reason/scientific data.

In 2000, Dems portrayed Bush as the idiot that he is and post-presidential debate spin depicted him as a present-day Descartes bcse he managed to complete a couple of sensible sentences in the midst of all that rubbish. Palin is the governor of Alaska who is presumably capable of a decent speech/debate & Dems should not make the same mistake with her; besides, McCain is the one at the top of the ticket. Instead, O-B should focus on educating voters on why they should vote for them rather than why they should not vote for McCain-Palin (allow M-P to self-destruct under their own distortions & hubris) ...

ELECTED FELONS IN D.C./PRISON SYSTEM/
Just google: Felony Records of Congressmen
OR here's a website to get you started on your wonderful enlightment of past/presently elected felons in our prison system and out......

I, for one, am shocked to learn that Palin did not visit Ireland, as someone apparently said on her behalf at some point in time. Mr. Dionne is right: THIS IS A STUNNING REVELATION WHICH MAKES THE POST'S RECENT INVESTMENTS IN ALASKA INVESTIGATIONS TOTALLY WORTH WHILE. I hope the Post does not stop here, but further investigates whether Palin, who allegedly "smiled" through St. Patrick's Day celebrations in Walissa, was really faking it because she has no use either for the country of Ireland or its national symbols such as leprochans.

As we watched Sarah Palin on TV the last couple of days, we kept wondering what on earth John McCain was thinking. . . . . . . . . . . . . If he seriously thought this first-term governor — with less than two years in office — was qualified to be president, if necessary, at such a dangerous time, it raises profound questions about his judgment. If the choice was, as we suspect, a tactical move, then it was shockingly irresponsible.

It was bad enough that Ms. Palin’s performance in the first televised interviews she has done since she joined the Republican ticket was so visibly scripted and lacking in awareness.

What made it so much worse is the strategy for which the Republicans have made Ms. Palin the frontwoman: win the White House not on ideas, but by denigrating experience, judgment and qualifications.

The idea that Americans want leaders who have none of those things — who are so blindly certain of what Ms. Palin calls “the mission” that they won’t even pause for reflection — shows a contempt for voters and raises frightening questions about how Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin plan to run this country.

One of the many bizarre moments in the questioning by ABC News’s Charles Gibson was when Ms. Palin, the governor of Alaska, excused her lack of international experience by sneering that Americans don’t want “somebody’s big fat résumé maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment where, yes, they’ve had opportunities to meet heads of state.”

We know we were all supposed to think of Joe Biden. But it sure sounded like a good description of Mr. McCain. Those decades of experience earned the Arizona senator the admiration of people in both parties. They are why he was our preferred candidate in the Republican primaries.

The interviews made clear why Americans should worry about Ms. Palin’s thin résumé and lack of experience. Consider her befuddlement when Mr. Gibson referred to President Bush’s “doctrine” and her remark about having insight into Russia because she can see it from her state.

But that is not what troubled us most about her remarks — and, remember, if they were scripted, that just means that they reflect Mr. McCain’s views all the more closely. Rather, it was the sense that thoughtfulness, knowledge and experience are handicaps for a president in a world populated by Al Qaeda terrorists, a rising China, epidemics of AIDS, poverty and fratricidal war in the developing world and deep economic distress at home.

Ms. Palin talked repeatedly about never blinking. When Mr. McCain asked her to run for vice president? “You have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission,” she said, that “you can’t blink.”

Fighting terrorism? “We must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink, Charlie, in making those tough decisions of where we go and even who we target.”

Her answers about why she had told her church that President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq was “God’s plan” did nothing to dispel our concerns about her confusion between faith and policy. Her claim that she was quoting a completely unrelated comment by Lincoln was absurd.

This nation has suffered through eight years of an ill-prepared and unblinkingly obstinate president. One who didn’t pause to think before he started a disastrous war of choice in Iraq. One who blithely looked the other way as the Taliban and Al Qaeda regrouped in Afghanistan. One who obstinately cut taxes and undercut all efforts at regulation, unleashing today’s profound economic crisis.

In a dangerous world, Americans need a president who knows that real strength requires serious thought and preparation. – NYTIMES

Sarah Palin looked like a college freshman who had crammed for an oral exam. Her sometimes halting style, her all to often reliance on memorized one or two sentence platitudes, and yes, her bewilderment at what was Bush’s doctrine, made her look quite flimsy. . . . . . Nevertheless, she did reasonably well and earned a B+ – for a freshman. But was very, very unsteady for a VP nominee.

Senator Hillary Clinton must accept she is a looser and BHO doesn't need her
So Keep quite.
Take a long vacation .
Think millions of times why she was defeated by an new, inexperienced opponent.
The more she shows up, the more people has unfavorable felling to her.

TEXANIO - you want more Felons in Washington? -
here is another list to enjoy. There seems to be more Dems on the list, but hey, there are Rep. too. POWER is a dangerous thing to give some people.
Neither party should throw stones at their glass houses........

Exactly, the repubs are trying to package Gov. Palin and sell her to the voters, plain and simple. Little by little more details will likely emerge about the Govenor. Her entire past and present will now be national news. I just don't think the McCain camp care and that's why they likely didn't care to much about the vetting, they saw a star for their show?? perhaps they were looking for style versus style and substance??

Just as he has DECEIVED the American voter about Viper Wright and his 20 year association with the man.

He would have us believe that he is and has been of superior intelligence.

There are no mention of scholarship names, of any of the following.

Obams's Occidental College records
Obama's Columbia College records
Obama's Columbia Thesis paper
Obama's Harvard College records
Obama's Selective Service Registration
Obama's Medical records
Obama's Illinois State Senate records
A certified copy of Obama’s Original Birth Certificate
Obama's embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth
Any Obama Harvard Law Review articles that were published (I have found one.)
Oabma's University of Chicago scholarly articles or publications.
I would like to see his national test scores, his grants, his scholarships, his
income tax reports for those years.

He makes no mention of WHAT scholarships he received.

He is being deceptive about his educational years, and how he was able to attend ELITE PRIVATE COLLEGES with only a B average in High School, and BEING POOR and BLACK.

Mr. Obama is being considered for the highest job in America, and he should provide the above as if he would be interviewing for that position in Corporate Amercian.

Coldcomfort notes above that Palin's comments on prayer bear no resemblance to Lincoln. Actually, the first time I read the full text of Palin's words (but before the Gibson interview), I thought immediately of Lincoln's second inaugural, wherein he (i) attributed the ENTIRE civil war, in all its costs, to the will of God, and (ii) encouraged his fellow citizens to seek out God's will. Palin was entirely within that tradition. And, and has been pointed out elsewhere, Gibson even spliced Palin's quote to omit the beginning and leave a misimpression. In all events, she explained herself perfectly well.

I agree, I don't think McCain had anything to do with the selection of Palin but he is surely enjoying the moment. I too through CG did a good job from staying away from certain issues that should have been asked. Like...why did she truly wait to tell her office that she was due? Is the baby her's or her daughters first child? Why did the convention speech written so she sounded like a pit bull? and why was the story lines fabricated?

Dave naively asks: "Does the Washington Post editorial board have meetings where they discuss how they are going to get Obama elected? "

Last I heard, Dionne was an opinion columnist. When did he get upgraded to the editorial staff? Get a clue, folks, learn about how media actually operate. And FWIW, the WaPo's editorial board with Fred Hiatt presiding, has been solidly pro-Bush.

SHAME ON SARAH PALIN!
_________________________
Everyone in the USA and in the civilized world KNOWS that the Bush Doctrine advocates the right to ATTACK ANY COUNTRY that Bush BELIEVES has, or may have, now, or in the future "NO-CLEAR" WEAPONS of mass destruction, so help us God.
-LAUGHABLE: "In what respect, Chalie?"
-SHE NEED TO BE VETOED BY THE PRESS, else they WOULD NOT be doing their job. She needs to TURN IN her income tax records where we can see if she's got the "per-diems' of one full year she spent AT HOME, which is part of her "executive" experience.

Quote:
1. Yes, Sarah Palin is being drug around in the dirt because she is a Republican woman and how dare the person call Sarah a Caribou Barbie! That is one of the most sexist comments, yet. Also, for the one who called her "trailer trash" that just shows to me that it is not the Republicans who are elitists but the Democrats.This should be very offensive to those whose homes are trailers and who don't make a six figure income.

2.It keeps coming up about the Bridge to Nowhere. Obama has ALSO been in favor of MANY things and then changed his mind....Israel/Pakistan...Russian/Georgia, etc. but NO-ONE dwells on that. In fact, he can't make a decision; he just goes with the flow after asking dozens of advisors. He is charmismatic, I will give him that but charisma isn't what we need. Some of you mentioned that McCain's heroism doesn't qualify him for the White House...well,okay then...neither does being a charismatic celebrity. Obama would be a great film star. He loves the spotlight. He's an eloquent speaker. I've heard that John McCain is not. Hmmm...someone who's become good at smoothly eloquent speaking probably has learned to make words work for him and twist them when necessary and people won't even notice.

3. I've noticed that some are comparing Palin's lack of experience and background to Obama. How come they are not doing the same comparison on McCain and Obama? Why is Joe Biden not the one that is being compared to her? At least, I have not seen much to that;maybe someone can fill me in on somewhere I could see this.

4. It seems Palin has so many sins in her life and McCain, too. Then,I guess the Democrats are without sin. They are presenting themselves as perfect. Too bad the voters are not nearly as perfect as Obama. In the Bible, there was a story about an adulteress that was getting ready to be stoned to death. Jesus told them "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The Dems have done a great job of casting the stones and hitting Palin.

And, let's not forget the Democrat who was President, and even though I'm not a Democrat, he did a decent job of the duties in office, yet he was an adulterer while in the office that he was elected to, disappointing Americans, but in this whole election,no one, not even the Republicans (except this one) has brought that up;(which is right thing NOT to do)maybe, it is because we all have skeletons in our closet. Have you ever thought what would come out if you ran for office?

5. The newstands are full of articles tearing Palin down, but I've yet to see the faces of Obama (the liberal media's little darling) or Joe Biden on the covers presented in a negative way. I agree with one blogger who said that these publications are only ruining themselves. Let's do real journalistic reporting...report the facts, Jack on both sides, both negative and positive and let the readers decide. I would absolutely LOVE to see an article in a mag that compares Obama to McCain and in the same mag Palin to Biden, side by side on issues, skeletons in the closets, biographies, awards and honors....maybe in the form of resumes so the American public could compare and then at the polls hire the ticket they think would be the best for the job.

6. Finally, and then, I'm through. I understand it may be good to understand the candidates' views based on their faith but it is a little undeserving to undermine one for "praying" that God's will be done. Our country was founded on a faith in the One True God, The Creator and our laws and values were built upon the Christian faith, but now, it's not politically correct to be a Christian,no one must renounce their deep beliefs in order to please everyone. I couldn't see one bit of hatred in the video that has been circulating where she spoke at her church in Alaska. Praying for someone does not cause hatred or racism or sexism. Their beliefs in their faith did not say they hated gays,only that they would be praying for them. And, in the privacy of a church building, they may do whatever (within the law) that they believe. Now that Obama has disowned his pastor, no one has mentioned anymore about how that church shaped his views. They are afraid to because of the venomous rhetoric that came from the pastor's mouth. Does anyone know what Biden believes;have they gone to a church he attends or does he attend one? What about McCain? What are his religious values? So, then, why does that play into the equation with Palin? I could understand if she were part of an anti-government,hate religion. The most she could be convicted of in her faith is saying that she believes in praying to God, asking His will for the country. Go back in history to other presidents; many were men who prayed or sought God's will. At least, the great ones did.

Thank you, both Republicans and Democrats for letting me air my feelings. How, sometimes I wish we didn't have parties. I can't stand the division and hatred that ensues. Especially when we say "United we stand, Divided we fall." Let's just let each other vote our consciences or faith or whatever standard and quit yelling at each other. I really hope that people in other countries don't read our comments because it will show the United States are not so united after all. And...I will be praying for this election, that God will put in the candidates He wants (and, although I will vote Republican which is voting based on my faith) I know that whichever party gets in will be because God put them there "for such a time as this" and I will relax and support the President of the United States and respect the office.

Senator McCain chose Gov. Palin mainly to energize the conservative base and to siphon off Senator Clinton's supporters. The key question in the selection process should have been "Is this person fit to take over as President from me?" The answer to this is "No," as Gov. Palin clearly does not have the experience for the job. Moreover, it seems clear that she was not vetted thoroughly enough, going by the number of "scandals" that are surfacing each day about Gov. Palin. Any of the others in the running (Gov. Pawlenty, former Gov. Romney, etc.) would have been better choices in this regard. Senator McCain has shown poor judgement and put himself ahead of his country. This alone should disqualify him from the Presidency. I hope the American electorate focuses on this and other substantive issues. The stakes are too high and the country is too far along on the wrong road for us to afford taking any chances.

Speaking about scrutinizing Palin let's scrutinize the media clowns who are obsessed with Palin...

Let’s Take A Look At Campbell Brown’s Family

By Dave Gibson (9/4/08)

A few days ago, CNN anchor Campbell Brown went on a very personal attack against Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds was giving Brown an interview, when she decided to place the focus of the conversation on the Governor’s 17-year old daughter Bristol, who is pregnant.

Brown said: “Tucker, though, this obviously putting this young woman, Bristol Palin smack in the media spotlight at what’s already got to be a very challenging time in her life. I mean, how do you respond to people who wonder why her mother would have subjected her to this scrutiny by accepting this high-profile position?”

Brown went on to say: “I recognize that in an ideal world, it would be private. You know, this is a presidential campaign. Nothing is private. The world is watching and if we, you know, as much as everyone might want to give this young woman her privacy, you know that’s not going to happen. And so you do risk putting her through an incredibly difficult process by accepting this job if you’re her mother. You can’t deny that, right?”

Well, this is obviously not an ideal world. Nor is it any longer a world in which the press gives legitimate, unbiased coverage to any and all candidates. This is in fact, now a world in which the press has decided to join the side of the leftist Democrat Party, and attack the Republican Party. Night after night, that same press ignores the fact that Barack Obama launched his political career at the home of unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers, while attacking the parenting skills of Sarah Palin.

Since CNN’s Campbell Brown has changed the rules of the game, and it is now evidently appropriate for the mainstream media to question a candidate’s parenting skills and focus on the behavior of the candidate’s family...Then it is also fair to examine the behavior of those related to those members of the press who pose such questions.

In 2003, CNN’s Campbell Brown’s father Jim Brown served six months in federal prison, after being convicted of lying to a federal agent, during a fraud and conspiracy investigation involving Cascade Insurance Co. At the time, Jim Brown was serving as the insurance commissioner of Louisiana, a position which he was forced to resign after the U.S. Supreme Court refused his appeal for the second time. Brown continued that position’s legacy, as the two previous insurance commissioners were convicted of taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from insurance companies, and still sit in federal prison.

So I would pose this question to Campbell Brown: Since the world is watching you...Do you think it is fair to your father to place this kind of scrutiny on him, since he is a convicted federal criminal? I mean, I know that it has to be painful for him. So don’t you think that you should have ended your journalistic career after he was convicted and resigned in disgrace? You want to be a good daughter don’t you?

We are currently seeing the most illegitimate campaign coverage in U.S. political history. We have seen so-called journalists become nothing more than cheerleaders for the left, and press secretaries for Barack Hussein Obama. In fact, I believe that the Obama campaign should have to list the glowing coverage provided by MSNBC as an in-kind campaign contribution!

I as a true conservative, now find myself in the unusual and uncomfortable position of defending the Republican Party presidential nominee. However, when the left-wing ignores major issues, and so alters their coverage to paint the Democrat as basically the next messiah, and stoops so low as to attack a child...I have no choice.

If those who often cheer for our enemies and hate this nation so much that they would refuse to report the truth as it relates to the success of our troops, as well as to the more than questionable past of Barack Hussein Obama, no one who loves this country has any choice but to support Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin.

Sources:
Let’s Take A Look At Campbell Brown’s Family
http://newsbyus.com/index.php/article/1440

From day one the right has been screaming at the left for challenging the Palin pick... give him a break, Obama has endured 20 months of attacks by the likes of you, most overblown and lies.... the Muslim thing, give me a break... your side has refined the art of lies and deception... the thing that gets under my skin is no matter when you are caught in a lie, you'll never own it or take responsibility, you're hypocrites to the enth degree. The problem I have with Palin as I get to know her more is she appears to have a "my way or the highway attitude"--for god sakes she is under investigation.... doesn't that give you pause you guys on the right? She immediately said "yes" to the VP spot without any careful consideration? Doesn't that give you pause you guys on the right? You want her in charge? I don't get it. Tell me something she's really got. Something that would sway me. Defend her unethical behavior so it makes sense to me. Defend when she openly admits that stretched the truth about the bridge to nowhere, yet still using it on the stump. She introduced herself as the reformer, but her record indicates otherwise. Defend her action so they make sense to me, give me something to prove she is ready for the VP spot. You can't, cause she's not ready and these times are must to serious to have her in the second spot. All you can to is attack the other side and say were a bunch of idiots. You make it impossible to have an open discourse.

It is a true shame to see so much obfuscation of the facts here. Very simply, Sarah Palin is well qualified to handle the duties of Vice President and is clearly a true American with clear American values. Barack Obama is not only NOT qualified to be President, (for so many of the reasons already outlned in this thread) but there are so many aspects of his personal life and resultant choices that are either questionable or directly anti-American that it would not only be unwise, but also EXTREMELY DANGEROUS to install him as the leader of the free world and the head of our federal government.

Jimmy Carter tried to de-nuke the planet and that not only failed, but weakened this country in the process and we are now in a time where the only thing keeping us from converting to Islam or learning Chinese is nuclear power, Obama has the same misguided rhetoric, he didn't learn anything.

You'll notice in his recent Bill O'Reilly interview that he can't even hold his position on a proposed tax rate starting at 25%-28%, and finally settling on 20% with Bill after only 30 seconds of debate, this with a reporter! How is he going to handle a direct meeting with leaders that hate us?

I also see bit of the John Kerry waffling syndrome. Look at his NEW view of the surge in Iraq. This is a guy who would rather take a 'Bill Clinton tour of Europe' than visit our troops, a man who can't even place his hand over his heart for the national anthem.

I truly believe that he doesn't belive what he says. He cannot articulate any real plans, but stutters through answers to direct questions until time runs out, as seen recently at the Columbia University National Service forum. I do not see that he thinks well on his feet, I have often seen uncertainty in his eyes, and heard the same in his voice; I have not seen any true leadership in this man.

Voting present is NOT acceptable in Congress (not sure the actual number as it seems to fluctuate between 130 and 160 times) and certainly NOT a trait for a Commander-in-Chief. I unfortunately cannot believe in this man. If I traveled the country giving his speeches, those same poeple would want to vote for me,but I am an engineer, and that's the problem, being charismatic is not enough to fill this job, you have to be able to actually do it, and that, at the absolute highest level.

Barack Obama should scare the daylights out of every person that lives in America. Am I the only one who has absolutely no faith in this man???

Obama is a Harvard law graduate, with honors.
-Sarah Palin went to one community college per year before she got a degree in Communication Arts, or something like that. Actually SHE MIGHT NOT EVEN have a B.A. (Bachellors degree even. That has not been verified. There's no video, record, nor mention of her "graduation" from ANY of the four or five colleges she attended.

A couple more thoughts on Mr. Dionne's column. First, Hillary spoke repeatedly of her Bosnia sniper story, using it to bolster her credentials. In the ABC interview, Palin mentioned only Kuwait and Germany -- not Iraq and Ireland. If there are references to Iraq and Ireland, they must be press clippings from one of the minions. Besides, how would going to Ireland bolster one's credentials, unless, like Hillary, one is showing off her ability to take a shot of whiskey.

Same for John Kerry -- he spoke in the Senate and elsewhere of the heartbreak he felt listening to Pres. Nixon on the radio denying we were in Cambodia while Kerry himself was actually there, in Cambodia. Turns out it wasn't true, and he probably knew it. Oops. Has Sarah Palin made any similar comments re: Ireland or Iraq -- like hey, I was there and saw or did X? I haven't heard any.

Finally, while we're talking foreign travel, let's not forget Barack's famous quip that he finds it positively embarrassing for Americans to be in France and not be able to speak the language. Turns out Barack has not been to France, either, and speaks no French. For the record, he's still embarrassed for his countrymen.

I agree with Dionne on one point: Team McCain seems a bit sensitive re: Palin's travel history. But it's a non-issue. We all know she is new to the international scene.

flyovercountry51, again you misread or misunderstand my question. I did not ask about a historical list of congressmen, senators or governors who have had personal legal issues.

My question is: why does Sarah Palin get a pass from the press regarding her felony conviction for operating an illegal drift net in a protected fishery in Bristol Bay in 1993. This is not a simple 'traffic ticket' type of offense as the Republicans' party claims. She plead down no contest to a _felony_ for running a rogue, open-water commercial drift net operation. Some call that poaching. What do you call it, flyovercountry51? Why doesn't the press even ask her about her criminal record? They've certainly asked everyone else running for national office about theirs, haven't they?

Ms. Campbell Brown & Jon Clown - as in Jon Klein - President of CNN, and the rest of the "24 hour media circus" had the audacity to question the fact that Palin's husband had a DUI, 22 years ago! But at the same time I did not once hear the above clowns grilling Obama about his "drug use" and other "extracurricular activities"!!!

Go Sarah Palin! Give some of these pathetic far-left-wing-liberals in the media the medicine that they deserve...Better yet, IGNORE THEM!

Like you have said in your "flash news" gesture to the obnoxious media...

Hillary apologized/excused herself and acknowledged her lie, and even so she lost the race.
-Sarah IS NOT BEING SCRUTINIZED to the same degree that Hillary was.
-Sarah Palin is a cynic, as far as lying is concerned, because SHE KEEPS REPEATING THE LIES, even AFTER they have been demonstrated to be false, SIMPLY because that's all she's got.
-So, she's no more than a talking figurine that repeats only what has been permanently put in the mechanism.

As we watched Sarah Palin on TV the last couple of days, we kept wondering what on earth John McCain was thinking. . . . . . . . . . . . . If he seriously thought this first-term governor — with less than two years in office — was qualified to be president, if necessary, at such a dangerous time, it raises profound questions about his judgment. If the choice was, as we suspect, a tactical move, then it was shockingly irresponsible.

It was bad enough that Ms. Palin’s performance in the first televised interviews she has done since she joined the Republican ticket was so visibly scripted and lacking in awareness.

What made it so much worse is the strategy for which the Republicans have made Ms. Palin the frontwoman: win the White House not on ideas, but by denigrating experience, judgment and qualifications.

The idea that Americans want leaders who have none of those things — who are so blindly certain of what Ms. Palin calls “the mission” that they won’t even pause for reflection — shows a contempt for voters and raises frightening questions about how Mr. McCain and Ms. Palin plan to run this country.

One of the many bizarre moments in the questioning by ABC News’s Charles Gibson was when Ms. Palin, the governor of Alaska, excused her lack of international experience by sneering that Americans don’t want “somebody’s big fat résumé maybe that shows decades and decades in that Washington establishment where, yes, they’ve had opportunities to meet heads of state.”

We know we were all supposed to think of Joe Biden. But it sure sounded like a good description of Mr. McCain. Those decades of experience earned the Arizona senator the admiration of people in both parties. They are why he was our preferred candidate in the Republican primaries.

The interviews made clear why Americans should worry about Ms. Palin’s thin résumé and lack of experience. Consider her befuddlement when Mr. Gibson referred to President Bush’s “doctrine” and her remark about having insight into Russia because she can see it from her state.

But that is not what troubled us most about her remarks — and, remember, if they were scripted, that just means that they reflect Mr. McCain’s views all the more closely. Rather, it was the sense that thoughtfulness, knowledge and experience are handicaps for a president in a world populated by Al Qaeda terrorists, a rising China, epidemics of AIDS, poverty and fratricidal war in the developing world and deep economic distress at home.

Ms. Palin talked repeatedly about never blinking. When Mr. McCain asked her to run for vice president? “You have to be wired in a way of being so committed to the mission,” she said, that “you can’t blink.”

Fighting terrorism? “We must do whatever it takes, and we must not blink, Charlie, in making those tough decisions of where we go and even who we target.”

Her answers about why she had told her church that President Bush’s failed policy in Iraq was “God’s plan” did nothing to dispel our concerns about her confusion between faith and policy. Her claim that she was quoting a completely unrelated comment by Lincoln was absurd.

This nation has suffered through eight years of an ill-prepared and unblinkingly obstinate president. One who didn’t pause to think before he started a disastrous war of choice in Iraq. One who blithely looked the other way as the Taliban and Al Qaeda regrouped in Afghanistan. One who obstinately cut taxes and undercut all efforts at regulation, unleashing today’s profound economic crisis.

In a dangerous world, Americans need a president who knows that real strength requires serious thought and preparation. – NYTIMES

Sarah Palin looked like a college freshman who had crammed for an oral exam. Her sometimes halting style, her all to often reliance on memorized one or two sentence platitudes, and yes, her bewilderment at what was Bush’s doctrine, made her look quite flimsy. . . . . . Nevertheless, she did reasonably well and earned a B+ – for a freshman. But was very, very unsteady for a VP nominee.

Quote: Jake Lewis wrote: "I don't recall Mrs. Brown asking the same tough questions regarding Obama's lack of foreign policy experience, his drug use, his ties to domestic terrorists, to explain how he purchased a $1.5 million home (yea...middle class) on a state legislature's salary, his refusal to vote ya or na while serving in the state legislature, or why in his 3 1/2 years as a senator he has not sponsored one important piece of legislation? Oh! I understand now...he speaks well."

Posted by: Jake Lewis | September 04, 2008 at 01:43 PM

BINGO!!

Dear Jake Lewis, you hit the nail on the head! But Ms. Campbell Brown and Jon Clown - as in Jon Klein - President of CNN - have been listening apparently to Nancy Pelosi.....they are NOT going to question their "Chosen One" - "God's Gift to America", as Nancy Pelosi refers to Obama!

Can you imagine if Senator McCain had said that Sarah Palin was "God's gift to America"? They would be reminding him about the separation of Church and State!...

The REAL question on voters' minds is why wasn't Obama vetted and why is Palin receiving more scrutiny than Obama who is running for President and not Vice President?

Since Obama is running a commercial mocking McCain for not using a computer, here is a list of things Obama has never done:

Never run a business
Never served in the military
Never commanded troops
Never balanced a budget
Never written a federal law
Never refused an earmark
Never lowered a tax
Never won an election in which the "field wasn't cleared" of opponents
Never heard Rev. Wright say anything controversial
Never united anything including the Democratic party
Never produced a real birth certificate
Never released medical records
Never released IL state Senate records
Never explained his long term relationship with unrepentent domestic terrorist Bill Ayers
Never had multiple bones broken leaving him unable to raise his arms over his head making it virtually impossible to operate a keyboard for any length of time

LANCASTER, Pa. - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Thursday that the escalation of U.S. troops in Iraq, which he had opposed, has succeeded in reducing violence "beyond our wildest dreams."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26550764

And check this out... This latest revelation by Mr. - this is above my pay-grade - Barrack Obama - comes in less than 24 hours after Sarah Palin stated in her speech that her opponent [Obama] never mentions the word "victory" except when he talks about his own campaign!!

Does the man think that we are stupid and do not remember his daily flip-flops about every issue on the table? Or does he think that we are so naive not to realize that he just listens to what the other side or the media says and then flip-flops according to where the wind is blowing?!

Come on Obama - the American people have already figured you out...When the heat is on, you start flip-flopping left and right - right and left!

Let's see now if Campbell Brown takes notice of this flip-flop by her "Chosen One"!... She is so pathetic - so far she has not mentioned a thing!!!

Question: Could Obama be suffering from "multiple personality disorder"???!!!

Most Americans experiment with alcohol before they are of age, and if she was 'underage' then she was a minor and that certainly cannot be held against her. Furthermore, how do you know that she was an abuser???

You are being kind. McCain LIED and continues to LIE. He is a liar, and I cannot see how anyone would put a man who has compromised his integrity and honor into the White House. I guess McCain supporters don't care because they are probably used to lying and think it's just fine. McCain is probably less qualified to run for President, than Palin is for VP.

We are experiencing a global financial meltdown and John Mc Cain picks ....
Where is the man's intelligence? Where is his honor? This man is so reckless with America. Lies, that is all they can offer America is lies.

Even Wonkette: "the hottest governor in all 50 states" and "my total girl crush" but we expect this from Wonkette.

No one ever called Hillary "hot."

The spectacle surrounding Palin is completely demeaning to women who take their careers seriously. It's not a 24-hour news cycle; it's 24-hour sexual harassment cycle. But Palin is the type of woman who revels in this.

If Obama bin Biden answers that "3:00 AM call to the White House" he would forward it to...the United Nations!!!!

Is this what you want America?

Do not vote left-wing-liberal Obama bin Biden to be our next Commander in Chief. It took 3 statements by him to kind of condemn (he still did not even come close to it) Russia for invading a democratic and sovereign country....And, this while Senator McCain, Senator Clinton, our government, and ALL our allies - blasted Russia's invasion of Georgia! Even China turned its back to Russia on the Georgia issue despite the fact that the Russian leaders - Medvedev (Putin's hand picked puppet) and Putin himself were courting China's support on the Georgia conflict!! Ha-ha!

By the way - for those who conveniently forget it - Obama is the one who is running for Commander in Chief (top of the ticket) - not Palin!!

It's Sarah Palin words that she was a marijuana smoker, not mine.
-What do you mean by "an abuser"? How can one tell?
-Can you prove that it did not affect her mental health?
-At best, it did not get rid of her twisted views of reality, it it did not cause it.

Want2know- It is NONE of your or anyone else's business about Sarah's decisions regarding her pregnancy decisions. That is not about the campaign, that is her own private business and she DID NOT endanger her baby's life. I have had 6 children and no one has the right to tell me whether and how I should not do you have a right to judge any mother no matter who she is in her child bearing decisions. BTW; There is nothing wrong with flying home after your water breaks. You water breaking is not an endangerment to your baby! Get a life!

the media holds great responsibility for the woeful lack of real information, knowledge and critical thinking of the US public. Unless they go after truth, when so much is at stake, they also hold responsibility for the aftermath of a mccain palin ticket, which could put this deceitful, opportunistic, hater, Sarah Palin, one illness, let alone death, from the power of the presidency. Think it over media people, either you work for truth, or you work for potential destruction far beyond nine eleven. Get real. This woman is a nightmare (and yes, if S Palin were male, I'd say worse, you can bet on it.) She needs to be outed at every turn.

Palin gets the base riled up, McCain doesn't, so that seems to fit with the modern GOP mindset more than seeking the most qualified or respected politicians. After GWB and Dan Quayle, are you surprised?

I don't know, how can one tell if someone is an abuser? Could you tell? And if so, can you prove that it DID affect her mental health? She seems to be doing very well, not like all of the dope smoker stereotypes...

I would not make the same mistake I did 4 years back. Republicans have consistently shown dishonsty. The mainstream media is fond of republicans. But majority voters are with democrats, this time. The media might invent any no. of stories about Palin and supress that is inconvenient to them. But the voters are not fool. Its time we call a spade a spade and dump McCain and elect Obama for the sake of good governance and change for good.

EJ, this nonsense about Palin's trip to Kuwait (that's right -- she has said she went to Kuwait, NOT Iraq, as you and others are now claiming) is just an effort to get people to take their eyes off the ball -- that is, that Gov. Palin is far more qualified to hold the office of the presidency than is Barack Obama. Obama has accomplished NOTHING, other than to build a brief record of being a liberal extremist.

You (liberals) have lied up one side and down the other about Obama's record. The Sex Education bill -- you have ALL claimed it was about "protecting children against predators". Read the freaking legislation. It isn't about protecting children from predators -- it is about explaining how not to get pregnant, how not to get HIV/AIDS, now well various forms of contraception do and don't work, all done in an "age appropriate" manner.

You tell me how a person discusses avoiding pregnancy in an "age appropriate" manner with a four-year old.

We're sick of it. Just like Bill Clinton before you, lies roll right off your tongues without you giving it a second thought.

I doubt that we will ever again see Palin being interviewed by anyone outside of Faux news, Limbaugh, Coulter, O'Reilly, Hannity... she will be kept away from anyone who doesn't pant at the sight of her (except maybe Coulter).

We will probably have to wait for the VP debates for her to be asked a serious question. By then she may have all her answers memorized.

Quote - Joyce of NC wrote:
Campbell Brown- Ditto the above. I'm so glad to see that someone else is saying the things I've been thinking. Some in the media are saying that Palin was "shrill" last night. Campbell Brown DEFINES the word "Shrill" and Soledad O'Brien defines the word "mean." They're both rude AND mean. Hafferty is disgusting. They are all a disgrace not only to journalism, but to themselves. I never watch their reports. I've been tuning in to them, though, over the past week to see what the other side is saying and knew I'd be sick about their lop-sided coverage of Sarah Palin. But then I took heart last night after Palin's speech. The liberal press was almost speechless. That was a real kick. I say - Go Sarah! Posted by Joyce of NC.

To Joyce of NC:

Joyce, you hit the nail on the head! Governor Palin gave the left-wing-liberal media the medicine that they needed! It was about time that someone - an accomplished and intelligent woman like Palin - replied in "kind" to the "24 hour tabloid news circus"! And, the best is yet to come!!

To the above list of utterly rude and mean spirited left-wing-liberal media clowns - Campbell Brown, Soledad O'Brien, Zack Hafferty led by Jon Klein = Clown president of CNN, I suggest that they enroll in a "Swiss finishing school" to brush up in good manners! Their disgusting behavior only shows their character and non-existent moral values.

It would be a great omission if to the above list we did not include another rude and obnoxious left-wing-liberal clown - Keith Olberman of MSNBC!! Keith Olberman defines the word "idiot"!

To all media clowns: Get used to it as the best is yet to come!!

Sarah Palin, tu est intelligent...tu est magnifique!!!

P.S. If anyone can think of any more names of media clowns please keep posting them...They all need to be exposed - once and for all. They did the same thing to Clinton - enough is enough - we will not just sit and watch "news for dummies" by clowns like all of the above!

Palin is the last gasp of cynical republican politics, after pulling W. out of the Texas Governor's office, Palin is a natural progression, McCain has mortgaged his integrety for his ambition and the proof is in the Palin pick. I for one am greatful that Palin is on the ticket as it puts it all out in the open. "abstinance only" advocate got pregnant before she was married...just as he daughter is doing now, reformer that is blinded by her own abuses of power as they are personal rather than for money, somebody who has the gaul to cite being able to see Russia from her state as a foreign policy credential.

The McCane people keep playing the POW card.
-They are not saying he "can't type" because of 'damage' from being a POW.
-So, he CAN'T even make a phone call??
-Of course he can. His initial statements is he does not KNOW, not that he could not use one.
-The McCain campaign exploits people's kind hearts in order to take advantage of them. Wake up people.

Here is the big problem with your inane discussion regarding the qualifications of Sarah Palin. Obama has less experience. He's simply unqualified for the position, but John McCain, everyone concedes is qualified to hold the office.

I love the assymetrical argument regarding the guy who is running for President against the woman who is running for Vice President. Obviously Obama is unqualified and the more he points out any deficiency she may have in his mind, it just emphasizes his lack of ability and qualifications.

The Republicans are correct in their observation that the difference between the Presidential candidate on the Democratic ticket hasn't actually done anything except run for office and their VP candidate has actually made real decisions. It gets more and more interesting. It is laughable that the people attacking Palin are attempting to do so in the same way they attacked Hillary.

This is why women like myself are going to vote for McCain. First, he actually has the qualifications to hold office. Second, he selected a very talented, capable woman who is running for office. Third, the media marched us off to war in Iraq and are complicit in making HORRIBLE decisions for the public. So we will make our own.

The more you pick on Palin, the worse Obama's numbers will get. People are sick of the stupid media and the fools who backed Obama to begin with.

In the end the Democrats will be saying to themselves over the pick "It was the experience stupid." You can't make a resume for Obama, so tough luck on this election. Next time, pick a qualified candidate.

To all the racist people out there that keep judging Obama on his experience, loyalty, race and qualifications. I have only a few questions. What makes you more of an American than anyone else? To me, your points are stupid and not worth reading. The most important thing to me is to see an America free of all the bigotry and bias. Nobody's perfect. I don't think you have to be white to run a country. To be quite honest, America's not your country or mine anyway! Your so-called founding fathers stole it from the indians. So before you call yourself an American, think about that. I believe that a true American has no color. So stopping all the hating and stop trying to be the modern day KKK. His mother was white and his father was African. So what, he's not a hundred percent caucasion! Are you? You don't think that over the years your family tree didn't swayed a little to other side a few times? If it didn't, why were so many black women raped during slavery? Hey, I'm glad to finally see someone that has experienced being on both sides of the tracks. We're not looking for forgiveness for what the slave owners did to our people. We're looking for respect and a fair shake for everyone. That's it.

John McCain fought in Viet Nam be himself and the PTA President will take over after his health fails. It is so funny that the sharpest candidate, Obama is trashed as "Elite" because he went to "Elite" school. I guess both he and his wife are "Elite" school because they went to "Elite" school. Was Michelle Obama "Elite" when she grew in Southside Chicago? No, she was one of those "poor children growing up in the horrible neighborhood". Hmmmmmm, double-standard in America continuing well beyond 400 yrs.

Darryl- You are not reading Obama's entire tax policy! 95% are not going to be taxed?

Who are you kidding?

I am one that makes good money as a small business owner. I now have to hold off creating new jobs because if Obama wins I won't be able to hire more people. That will mean less jobs! When you tax me more, I have to hire less, and lay off people.
What is in it for me to work my a#@ off to pay for all those that won't better themselves and make more money?

The rich in our country already pay a 38% tax and Obama wants that to be 50%. The rich in our country and the corporations in our country have the second largest tax in the entire world!

I am already doing my calculations to see how little I can make so I won't have to be in that tax bracket. Maybe I can lay off some more people, work less, make less and then pay less in taxes without all the stress. Hmmm, sounds like a plan many small business owners are figuring on.

Let's see. If I make over $250,000 in a year, you see, that is with people working with me. My tax would be 50%. So I would only get to keep $125,000. Hmmm, for all that work I could fire my employees, go find a job that pays $125,000 and keep more of my money.

So much for helping the economy! When all the 'rich' people move you can all go and work for the government but they will be broke because the rich will all take their money somewhere else!

When you punish the rich by increasing their taxes it will be the middle class and the poor that will be effected because the higher taxes cause companies to charge more for the food, gas, all the things you buy in a store. SO don't think that you are going to escape the taxes. IT trickles down to everyone else.

Take some classes on economics. If you want to be a socialist- move to Europe and stand in line for your doctor for 5 months!

John McCain fought in Viet Nam be himself and the PTA President will take over after his health fails. It is so funny that the sharpest candidate, Obama is trashed as "Elite" because he went to "Elite" school. I guess both he and his wife are "Elite" school because they went to "Elite" school. Was Michelle Obama "Elite" when she grew in Southside Chicago? No, she was one of those "poor children growing up in the horrible neighborhood". Hmmmmmm, double-standard in America continuing well beyond 400 yrs.

John McCain fought in Viet Nam by himself and the PTA President will take over after his health fails. It is so funny that the sharpest candidate, Obama is trashed as "Elite" because he went to "Elite" school. I guess both he and his wife are "Elite" school because they went to "Elite" school. Was Michelle Obama "Elite" when she grew in Southside Chicago? No, she was one of those "poor children growing up in the horrible neighborhood". Hmmmmmm, double-standard in America continuing well beyond 400 yrs.

Smitty, I didn't notice any racism on this forum until you just brought that up, but since you mentioned it, why did The Obama family spend 20 yrs going to a church run by Jesse Jackson style racist, and only disassociated themselves once it was politically convenient, that is to say, once the truth was made known to the world?

Musing said,"We just have to do a better job of exposing this female> How about a hole in the woman's bathroom."

Musing would have been more correct had he/she signed his/her drivel Dithering.

We plan to have a candidate for the second highest office in the country exposed. She is asking us for our vote, so we are asking her for her views on political philosophy and the extent of her knowledge on public affairs. So far what we've been asked by the Repugnicans is to buy a pig in a poke.

Obama spent 12 years as a tenured law lecturer in Chicago university after being the first ever black president of Harvard Law review and being top of his class.

He did spend three years trying very hard to improve the plight of people in the South side of Chicago while McCain was buying more houses to forget about, he was in the Illinois legislature for 8 years and then the US federal congress.

Palin is a journalist after attending 5 or 6 colleges in 6 years, being a bikini babe on the way and then stuffed up being the mayor of a town of 6,000 people before lying to become governor and then selling the plane at a loss and being paid to live in her own home.

Give us a break the children who want to think with other parts of their anatomy.

Palin is a dumber model of Bush with less experience than the plumber.

Well said E J, look forward to your next interview in Australia.

I wonder though when the MSM are going to grill McCain over the obvious lie exposed last week? You know the one I mean don't you? We saw a very fit McCain walk on his own two feet, raise his arm high and salute twice at least after he was released by the VC two years before the fall of Saigon.

Even in Australia we know the lie of "I was so tortured I couldn't even walk", so how about it Washington Post?

Why was he and the others so fit, why were they released before the fall of Saigon when others were not, why did he lie about the extent of his injuries, why was he ever considered a hero for bombing innocent civilians to bits from thousands of feet in the air?

Why did the VC treat him so well when 3 million Vietnamese were slaughtered in places like My Lai where Calley was the scapegoat and only got 4 years of light labour?

Come on, I am Australian and we were the only suckers to join the US in that madness and we are still suffering the effects of agent orange while Vietnamese are still dying.

You liberal idots go ahead and put this woman down (most of this you do not have a clue if it is really the truth) and elect Hussein Obama then sit back and watch our country go to pot. You bunch of liberals have about as much judgement as my pet dog has.
If we pull out of Iraq like Hussein says I say Iran will be in Iraq in no time flat. We better elect a president who knows how to protect our freedom and it certainly is not H. Obama. Obama's tax plan scares me to death also.

I grew up on the Southside and racial relations were always strained because of Farrakhan, Jackson and their ilk. I would find it hard to believe that Obama would not have been exposed to the same ugliness that I witnessed and grew up in. That certainly makes it difficult to decide about those things as a kid, but he decided to associate himself and his family with that kind of rhetoric once he was old enough to make those decisions on his own... as I said, political convenience.

It's OK and permitted, in the USA, for a woman to pop as many kids as she can and wants.
-The issue is I would not hire Sarah Palin as a live-in made (even though I am a millionaire) simply because she could not do the job!
1. Five kids, one is need of special care.
2. A pregnant teen-age girl, ready to increment the troop count.
3. The teen-age husband of the teen-age pregnant girl.
4. The baby the teen-age will pop.
5. The husband, or "First Dude".
-That's quite a troop, isn't it? That's why I would not hire her, because SHE SIMPLY COULDN'T DO the job.
-NOW, the White House VP or even P job requires AVAILABILITY, on top of Good Judgement, Foreign Politics view and insight, Experience as an honest leader who DOES NOT abuse power, as a minimum. NONE OF THOSE does Sarah Palin have.

Dave- Thank you! You are brave to stand up to liberals who are so nasty against everything decent. Obama has less experience than Sarah. He tells of how he turned down a big wall street job to work for $12,000 as a community organizer and says that he expects all young people to do this too! He wants you all to work for the government for $12,000 to $19,000 a year. But what he did not tell you is that while he is being a community organizer his wife was making $120,000 a year in the Chicago hospital and gave herself a raise 3 years later to $320,000, hmmmm, the year Obama ran for the senate. Please! They are no more for change than any other politician! He looked the other way as Chicago was entrenched in corruption!
I guess one spouse can work as a community organizer while the other is actually paying the bills!

There is an asinine quality about the remarks by UBwiz. What qualifications has Palin got and how does selling a plane for a loss make her more experienced that a constitutional law professor with 12 years in state and federal congress?

If you are so dumb you buy the McCain swill then you are probably so dumb you think Bush is a genius.

JMcC said Obama would do anything to get elected. Well, as we can see from the past week the truth. omit Obama name and replace it with McCain. Since he lost in 2000 he has done nothing but position himself for this election. I don't trust McCain, his judgement or his truthfulness. Just by the people he has running his campaigne. LIES,LIES,LIES.

WOW! It's amazing how selfish people get when it comes to helping humans ( Katya, I made $250k looks like more taxes )! Realize, that GOD only gives you as much as you can handle. Realize that as you have a business and are blessed to be drawing an income that GOD may take everything away for you to realize when people are in need, so be careful. I would like for everyone to just look around your house and decide what things YOU MADE and what YOU BOUGHT. At some point everyone has to realize that HUMANITY is one big tribe that rely on one another. Helping the unfortunate is part of humanity! We share! ( Remember Kindergarten, first lesson )

If you truly believe that having a family and a job are too much for a woman to handle when you don't even have the slightest idea about what her husband's role is or any knowledge of the support system that the family has, then I guess you are saying that YOU could not do it no matter what support system YOU might have. So, since YOU would not be capable of handling it, I guess YOU shouldn't try.

Quote: "Take some classes on economics. If you want to be a socialist- move to Europe and stand in line for your doctor for 5 months!"
Posted by: Katya | September 15, 2008 1:23 AM

And, they can also work overtime and get paid straight time - in most socialist European countries employers do not obey the law regarding overtime! I know this to be a fact... I have come to this great country of ours from Europe!

Even in Europe, people are realizing how disasterous the left-wing-liberals have been and there is actually a drastic shift to the right, ie. Sarkozy (France), etc. We would be CRAZY to vote the left wing liberals in office here - in America!!

-OIL is behind Bush's EIGHT YEARS of misery for the nation.
-OIL is behind the McCain/Palin ticket
-OIL is the driving force for the war in Iraq (and Iran). "Weapons of mass destruction" was only a lie to instill false fear on us.
-It's NOT "the economy, stupid" as they say. It's the war in Iraq that's got us all in poor economic shape. Just look at the costs!
-It's that we don't want Eight More Years of OILigarchy and its magnatesm, because its being in BAD shape DOES NOT MEAN that it can not get worser.

This woman is a danger to individual and personal freedoms and choices, not only in the US but to the world. The spin placed on her experience is unreal and her lack of knowledge about the world, the domestic issues that should be the guiding agenda concerning this election--seem not to be discussed. The idea that she would ask the question about banning books is a red flag, but then Rowe's people were quick to plant the fake book list to throw people away from this danger. But how quickly she lies should make every conservative stand up and demand truths for isn't it truths that the conservatives demand from every one? This conservative does demand truth and will not vote for someone who has so many questions surrounding her....I believe that she is a great danger.

HUSSEIN OBAMA, Wow that was not a smart comment. DID you know that most African Slaves original religion was Islam ("BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA II"; [THAT WAS HIS DAD'S NAME])? What are you implying? Hey, read up on the First Crusade, and tell us what happened there. Did you realize that Muslims helped develop trade in this country with Africa and Mid East ( look at the signings of D o C and various governmental paperwork at the time ). You count with Arabic ("1...9") and Egyptian ("0") Numerals. The first university structure truly came from Memphis and Wasset in Africa were Archimedes, Pythagoras went to learn mathematics. Please read a book!!!!!!!

"Take some classes on economics. If you want to be a socialist- move to Europe and stand in line for your doctor for 5 months!"
????
Well, tell THAT to our neighbor here who's back from Iraq, NOT in one piece, and THE type of medical treatment he is getting: NONE!

The U.S. only derives about one tenth of its oil from Middle Eastern sources, the 20% that Japan imports from there and the 30% that Europe imports should be the reason they are concerned. Seems unlikely that seeking to secure our country from terrorist threats by responding to 9/11 and deposing the regimes of those governments that support, nay, SEEK our destruction AND support terrorism would be more the reason that we needed to step foot into the desert.

hillary is very impreesive ande eloquent.
sarah is the opposite-shallow,calculating,manipulative,ruthless,vindictive, deceitful,secretive, and at times contemptous toward the law and constitution.

mccain at 72 is outdated in his ideas and throws temper tantrums.his bad grades from childhood to the presenr reveal a basic lack of thoughtfulness and learning ability. his learning curve is slow when the financial system is in crisis and the ecoonmy fragile. add confusion,memory loss and very poor judgement and irresponsibility-as was the case in his decision to hire palin.

mccain is uninspiring and being overshadowed by an inexperienced 'celebrity' palin,who cheated alaska on her expense reports and is being investigated for troopergate.he is regretting having hired her.if he has any integrity or credibility left,which is very doubtful, he should dismiss sarah and hire another vp.

after republicans called people racist names like 'macaca' a couple of years ago,mccain running a dirty campaign filled with lies,distortions and racism

JT- I believe in God and God does own everything but he never said that I am supposed to be socialist or a communist. I am a capitalist and proud of it. Capitalism instills creative thinking, inventing, creating jobs and companies. My mother had to run away from Stalin and give up everything they owned because they owned companies and land. I know what it is like to live under socialism and communism from my relatives and I also lived in Europe for 4 years and have been to many other countries.

God never said that the GOVERNMENT decides what to do with my money. I give to charity, a lot. I tithe to my church much more than Obama does with the 4 million he made last year! I tithed more on my 250K than he did on his 4M!

SO it is selfish that I don't want to continue to work my a#@ off so that I can pay for those who are free loaders and who don't want to work? I am supposed to work to support all the pork barrel spending the government does?

Excuse me, how much of my money would you like?

Do you think it is fair that I pay a higher percentage in taxes just because I made the decision to create a business? You are not talking about GOD, you are talking about entitlements, hand outs and socialism.

I believe in paying my fair share, but 50% is not my fair share! A flat tax for everyone across the board is fair.

I have been homeless. I was abused by a man for over 20 years, I had to run away with 5 children and hide in the back of a car. I never went to the welfare lines! I worked from home taking care of my kids and working on a business that makes money.

SO don't call me selfish until you have walked a mile in my shoes!

I did not choose to become a burden on society, I chose to rise from my ruins and make something of myself. I am not a victim of what happened to me. I realized it was not my fault that I was a victim but it was my fault if I chose to remain one.

I did not go on welfare, I worked with my brain, I did what I had to do to make money to raise my kids without any support from my abusive x or the government. IF I can do it, so can everyone else.

What you are speaking of is not about God but about communism. The redistribution of wealth and then you call me selfish because I might want to become like those who make less money so I don't have to work as hard only to see the government take my money in taxes.Hmmm, sounds like someone else may be the selfish one that is getting upset that I may no longer contribute.

"The U.S. only derives about one tenth of its oil from Middle Eastern sources, the 20% that Japan imports from there and the 30% that Europe imports should be the reason they are concerned. Seems unlikely that seeking to secure our country from terrorist threats by responding to 9/11 and deposing the regimes of those governments that support, nay, SEEK our destruction AND support terrorism would be more the reason that we needed to step foot into the desert."
-THIS IS FALSE. With the money we are spending for the Iraq War, we could be buying ALL of the oil production of SAUDI ARABIA for EVERY SINGLE day of this six years.
-Besides, it's NOT necessarily THE AMOUNT of oil, BUT THE QUALITY. The oil from the M.E. is of the very best quality, meaning LESS cost to refine it and MORE profits.

The media made a big deal about whether John Kerry, when he served in Vietnam, did or didn't cross the border with Cambodia. Why doesn't Palin's relationship to the Kuwait-Iraq border deserve at least as much attention?

That's not the Kerry/McCain-Palin discussion I'd like to see get attention. I'd like to see some attention as to whether McCain or Kerry served more heroically in Viet Nam. McCain getting shot down by a SAM near a Viet Cong village, where the Viet Cong civilians saved him from drowning and turned him over to their authorities who imprisoned him for 5 years doesn't really sound as heroic as what Kerry did in Viet Nam, and yet Kerry got slimed as anything but a hero in the last election, even when the congrast was with the AWOL national guardsman Bush, who was safe and sound in the US for the entire war.

Thanks for pointing out the big reason I couldn't stomach Hellary I'm sure her life is constantly in danger but lying about the snipers thing was too Bush like for me to take. I'm sick of lying psycho's. I want to hear more about Cindy McCains mob connections because that is one the media seem delighted to ignore. Is John McCain the mob candidate for President? We know he's the Military Industrial Complex candidate. Just how scummy can you be a still have a fighting chance of being President?

Hillary is hated and feared by the Right because she's educated. Palin is admired because she's "plain folks." There's your double standard. The Right is deathly afraid of critical thinking and erudition, but in love with predatory ambition.

We all know it isn't the name, its what it represents, and there is a known history there, which points directly to ANOTHER mysterious, underlying question about the man that carries the name that we have no answers to.

Natasha- That is because the liberals and the socialists here have no idea what it is like in Europe. I know a man who just pulled out 4 of his teeth in England because the pain was too much to bare and the only dental opening was still 4 months down the road.
I know people from England who came to this great country to escape the socialism there. Now Germany and France are trying to figure out a way OUT Of their failed socialist experiment.

I don't believe the people here really have a clue what they are asking for when they want more government and more welfare and more social programs and more and more, it is socialism. They won't know that until it is too late.

When people's money pay for FAILED mortgage companies and banks, either in real-time, or by FUTURE DEBT, and millions of people are being duped out of their money and their houses, what do you call that system?
-It's not about "socialism" or "capitalism".
-It's about Bush's FAILED economic and foreign policy, and nobody in his right mind wants four more years of the same shame and misery.

I saw this on a discussion board and was wondering if any one else saw it somewhere else: Obama has had **** for seven years now. It is not life-threatening but that is the reason he kept his medical records secret!

(I am keeping the name of the disease secret so as not to spread a rumor if it is just that)

Actually, the media was also incredibly soft on Hillary, probably because Obama was. Nothing about her commodities trading fraud was ever questioned by the media. Nor were there any questions about White Water, the Rose Law Firm records that "went missing," Vince Fostter, etc. Had she been a nominee? The GOP would have all those out there on the table.

I agree with your premise -- that the media is afraid to make a big point of Palin's lies and that they did make a big point of some of Hillary's lies. But, IMO, the media never came close to being tough on Hillary. Let's not reinvent history here; they let all her most serious personal issue slide.

As a matter of fact the highest quality oil is West Texas Intermediate, oil from the Middle East in fact requires more processing and the OPEC standard is based on a blend of OPEC nations. And, once again, we are not in Iraq for Oil... Furthermore, profits are being driven by one main factor, speculators, and secondly by OPEC capitalizing on the current global situation. Additionally, the Saudi's are trying to keep up the production levels that OPEC was trying to cut in order to keep global markets stable, although they will do their best to keep the $100 mark.

"saw this on a discussion board and was wondering if any one else saw it somewhere else: Obama has had **** for seven years now. It is not life-threatening but that is the reason he kept his medical records secret!

(I am keeping the name of the disease secret so as not to spread a rumor if it is just that)" -Daniel-
----------
We need to be more worried about the Bush real disease that has us in this bad shape, and the further spreading via McCain and Palin.

Maybe the paid Neo-Conjob posters here don't see the relevance to the stream of half truths, twisted facts and outright lies the McCain campaign and Palin have been spewing or maybe they really don't care as long as they win the election.

Ok, so let's accept for a moment it was Bounds or one of his minions who actually said Palin had visited Iraqi, well did they simply fabricate it or did they get the information from Palin? I know I read it in at least a couple of press releases. Only a handful of people know the absolute truth and don't expect them to answer any time soon. Regardless, it doesn't speak well for the McCain campaign in my view.

The issue for me is the pattern which has emerged and which began with Palin's very first address in Ohio that Friday which seems so long ago. She misrepresented just about every accomplishment she claims. By the end of Saturday I had substantially debunked almost everything she was claiming, just by reading online versions of the local papers in Alaska. Say what you wish about the papers there, but in large part they have been shown to be correct as now verified by the major news outlets.

To those who say well she is just the VP, every Vice Presidential candidate needs to be and should be scrutinized as if they were running for president. What a foolish notion to hold that the Vice Presidential candidate and their views are irrelevant. Of course they are, are you blind to history? Statistically the odds aren't so long this person, the Vice President, will be called to server as president. Let's take a quick tally of just the past 60 years: Truman, Johnson and Ford. Hmm, maybe the odds aren't so long after all.

I don't care what Palin's gender is and were she male I would demand exactly the same accountability for her claims. I would also feel exactly the same that here we have a person with an isolated view of the nation and of the world. Memorizing facts by advisers doesn't give someone an understanding of international relations and diplomacy and living in and being governor of a state which has Russia as its neighbor does not qualify as foreign policy experience. I believe either that was the most absurd and cynical comment Palin made in the interview or the most clueless, either way it doesn't bode well for this country.

As for all thoughts who bring up Ayers, Wright, etc., this has all been dragged through the mud repeatedly. Don't you think the Bush administration would have set the Justice Department on Obama if there was anything to any of this? The only place you will find a connection is on Neo-Conjob web sites and blogs but they live in an alternate universe just as much as the left wing ones do.

I have no party affiliation, I'm and independent although John McCain has lost all respect I held for him by his own actions, even before selecting Palin. The choice of Palin has simply validated the conclusions I had already reached, McCain so desperately wants to be president he has sold out whatever principles he had to that end. McCain decided to put his ambitions first and country last.

Sarah Palin on War & Peace
* We don't know what the plan is to ever end the war. (Aug 2008)
* Wants exit plan; also assurances to keep our troops safe. (Mar 2007)
* We have not been attacked since 2001; so support our troops. (Oct 2006)
* I support the mission of our troops in Iraq. (Oct 2006)
* Our troops in Iraq keep us safe at home. (Oct 2006)
* I support President Bush's efforts to stop terrorism. (Oct 2006)

Oh Yeah, I remember Maverick. It was a TV show in the 60's about an Arizona cowboy, kinda like Rifleman. What a joke McCain is. So unprepared to lead our country. So reckless. So desperate. Lies and distortions of truth will not get you elected, Maverick (LOL)

Conservative is a dead word might as well call them fascist's and be honest. The word conservative is a lie. I thought conservative meant things like neither a borrower nor lender be seems like conservatives like McCain have no problems borrowing. From our great grandchildren. Is anybody certain McCain isn't one of these apocalyptic Christians too?

"saw this on a discussion board and was wondering if any one else saw it somewhere else: Obama has had **** for seven years now. It is not life-threatening but that is the reason he kept his medical records secret!

(I am keeping the name of the disease secret so as not to spread a rumor if it is just that)" -Daniel-
----------
We need to be more worried about the Bush real disease that has us in this bad shape, and the further spreading via McCain and Palin.
-THAT disease does have a name and it's caleed GREED, and it has already caused more than 4000 American's DEATHS in Iraq, and many thousand badly injured, PLUS thousands more of Iraquies and of other countries, PLUS those deaths and injured in Afghanistan.

Didn't Palin go to a Junior College for most of her Education? I heard she graduated from an open enrollment university. Education in her case is not important, is that correct? Bush bought his grades from Yale, didn't he? He's still the dumbest Prez ever. McCain may have some cognitive issues for sure. He isn't too bright, correct? Ditto heads are pretty uneducated folks right? Is there a pattern to American Politics that we could generalize about?

Everyone has forgotten how mean-spirited Obama and his campaign were to Hillary. Did you forget that she was winning?!! And that she would be the nominee had there been a recount in Florida and Michigan, which Obama and the hyper-liberal (Dean, Pelosi) blocked??!!

It's only been a couple of months since Obama poisoned Hillary's image. How quickly everyone forgets.

Honestly, would you fly with your family on a 767 being co-piloted by someone who had only ever flown a Bush Plane while the pilot is a senior citizen with a serious medical history and has lost every plane he has been given? Is that what America is actually considering? Tell me it isn't so. You better ask the question because your family's future is at stake.

Ya she's got an 80% approval rate she just did this huge welfare check thing giving away tons of money which for some Reason I guess the Palin family double dipped on could that be the reason the Palins don't want to release their tax returns?

Barack Obama on War & Peace
Iraq War
* You don't defeat a terrorist network by occupying Iraq. (Aug 2008)
* I will only send our troops into harm's way when necessary. (Aug 2008)
* $10 billion a month spent in Iraq should be spent in the US. (Jul 2008)
* President sets Iraq mission; Generals then implement tactics. (Apr 2008)
* President sets Iraq mission; give generals a new mission. (Apr 2008)
* $2.7 billion each week of Iraq spending is unsustainable. (Feb 2008)
* Humanitarian aid now for displaced Iraqis. (Feb 2008)
* FactCheck: Overstated displaced Iraqis; actually 4.2 million. (Feb 2008)
* The Iraq war has undermined our security. (Jan 2008)
* Iraq is distracting us from a host of global threats. (Jan 2008)
* End the war, and end the mindset that got us into war. (Jan 2008)
* The Iraq war was conceptually flawed from the start. (Jan 2008)
* Title of Iraq war authorization bill stated its intent. (Jan 2008)
* Get our troops out by the end of 2009. (Jan 2008)
* No permanent bases in Iraq. (Jan 2008)
* FactCheck: No, violence in Iraq is LOWER than 2 years ago. (Jan 2008)
* Congress decides deployment level & duration, not president. (Dec 2007)
* Surge strategy has made a difference in Iraq but failed. (Nov 2007)
* Leave troops for protection of Americans & counterterrorism. (Sep 2007)
* Hopes to remove all troops from Iraq by 2013, but no pledge. (Sep 2007)
* Tell people the truth: quickest is 1-2 brigades per month. (Sep 2007)
* No good options in Iraq--just bad options & worse options. (Aug 2007)
* Be as careful getting out as we were careless getting in. (Jul 2007)
* We live in a more dangerous world because of Bush's actions. (Jun 2007)
* Case for war was weak, but people voted their best judgment. (Jun 2007)
* War in Iraq is "dumb" but troops still need equipment. (Apr 2007)
* Open-ended Iraq occupation must end: no military solution. (Apr 2007)
* Saddam is a tyrant but not a national security threat. (Mar 2007)
* Iraq 2002: ill-conceived venture; 2007: waste of resources. (Feb 2007)
* Saddam did not own and was not providing WMD to terrorists. (Oct 2004)
* Iraq War has made US less safe from terrorism. (Oct 2004)
* Invading Iraq was a bad strategic blunder. (Oct 2004)
* Democratizing Iraq will be more difficult than Afghanistan. (Oct 2004)
* Never fudge numbers or shade the truth about war. (Jul 2004)
* Set a new tone to internationalize the Iraqi reconstruction. (Jul 2004)
* Iraq war was sincere but misguided, ideologically driven. (Jul 2004)
* Not opposed to all wars, but opposed to the war in Iraq. (Jul 2004)
* International voice in Iraq in exchange for debt forgiveness. (Jul 2004)
Trouble Spots
* McCain says he'd follow Laden to hell; but not to his cave? (Aug 2008)
* Iran is biggest strategic beneficiary of invasion of Iraq. (May 2008)
* Military surge in Afghanistan to eliminate the Taliban. (May 2008)
* Take no options off the table if Iran attacks Israel. (Apr 2008)
* Two-state solution: Israel & Palestine side-by-side in peace. (Feb 2008)
* Al Qaida is based in northwest Pakistan; strike if needed. (Jan 2008)
* No action against Iran without Congressional authorization. (Dec 2007)
* Iran: Bush does not let facts get in the way of ideology. (Dec 2007)
* Meet directly for diplomacy with the leadership in Iran. (Nov 2007)
* Committed to Iran not having nuclear weapons. (Oct 2007)
* Iran military resolution sends the region a wrong signal. (Oct 2007)
* Deal with al Qaeda on Pakistan border, but not with nukes. (Aug 2007)
* Military action in Pakistan if we have actionable intel. (Aug 2007)
* FactCheck: Yes, Obama said invade Pakistan to get al Qaeda. (Aug 2007)
* Focus on battle in Afghanistan and root out al Qaeda. (Jun 2007)
* Bush cracked down on some terrorists' financial networks. (Jun 2007)
* Iraq has distracted us from Taliban in Afghanistan. (Apr 2007)
* Iran with nuclear weapons is a profound security threat. (Apr 2007)
* We did the right thing in Afghanistan. (Mar 2007)
* We are playing to Osama's plan for winning a war from a cave. (Oct 2006)
* Al Qaida is stronger than before thanks to the Bush doctrine. (Jan 2006)
* Terrorists are in Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Iran. (Oct 2004)
* Problems with current Israeli policy. (Jul 2004)
* Engage North Korea in 6-party talks. (Jul 2004)
* Use moral authority to work towards Middle East peace. (Jul 2004)
Voting Record
* Voted to fund war until 2006; now wants no blank check. (Nov 2007)
* Late to vote against war is not late to oppose war. (Jun 2007)
* Spending on the Cold War relics should be for the veterans. (Jun 2007)
* Would have voted no to authorize the President to go to war. (Jul 2004)
* Voted YES on redeploying US troops out of Iraq by March 2008. (Mar 2007)
* Voted NO on redeploying troops out of Iraq by July 2007. (Jun 2006)
* Voted YES on investigating contract awards in Iraq & Afghanistan. (Nov 2005)

Even here in Australia I know she never said she went to Iraq. If the Democrat were not worried about her none of this garbage would raise its ugly head. If I was a Republican I would be excited about the furore Governor Sarah Palin has got the whole Democrat party into. When reporters have to raise such absolute nonsense as this article raises then they have no question of substance.I can understand why Joe Biden does not worry the Republican party as Sarah Palin worries the Democrats.

Makes no sense?
Ready without a blink of an eye to lead this country but cant handle a press conference?

Sure Keep fooling yourselves but guess what
Celebs can even handle those.

Had to go up to Alaska to Campaign for those crucial votes???

We get it Republicans can do it to weeeee.. Please do not vote for this ticket it is a disaster ready to happen and everyone knows it. Thats why she cant answer Questions on her own accord. Her qualifications now seem to be a breathing talking body.

Didn't Palin go to a Junior College for most of her Education? I heard she graduated from an open enrollment university. Education in her case is not important, is that correct? Bush bought his grades from Yale, didn't he? He's still the dumbest Prez ever. McCain may have some cognitive issues for sure. He isn't too bright, correct? Ditto heads are pretty uneducated folks right? Is there a pattern to American Politics that we could generalize about?
================================
Sarah Palin still needs to be vetted for even a Junior College degree, BUT right now, she is taking a CRASH COURSE on "Vicepresidency for Dummies".

It is pretty obvious that this woman, Palin, will do anything even grossly lie to get ahead. However, the whole truth will come out and will further embarass the McCain campaing!!! Nothing is new when it concerns the dirty games the Republicans play, they just play dirty.....

How was Obama disrespectful to Hillary? If anything I strongly feel it was the other way around. She played the fear card with white, middle aged and senior voters shamelessly to her advantage. In fact, just the way the Palin-McCain campaign is now doing. You can't win on issues, win on fear.

For full discloser, being non party affiliated as I am means in my state I cannot participate in the primaries so I voted for none of the above and had no particular leaning one way or the other.

Lets be real about this, Palin on her introduction to the American people(all forty million),lied numerous times. We all know that now and we will probably know a lot more before all is said and done. The big problem is John McCain and his handlers for not vetting Palin, or for trying to put one over on us. It's time the American people got angry as hell, and are not going to take it any more. The only way to do that is to stay focused on the issues, and stop being distracted,which is exactly what they want.I think it's obvious to most by now that we don't need a "CHATTY CATHY" in the White House that they can wind up and tell us anything they want. Whatever happened to Jonn McCain and "PUT THE COUNTRY FIRST"?

* FactCheck: Abortions HAVE gone down under Pres. Bush. (Aug 2008)
-----------------------------------
And FATALITIES and crippling of our soldiers, and of those who WERE NOT ANY THREAT TO US have INCREASED by the THOUSANDS due to war in Iraq, and so has the Nation's misery.

You should just ignore most of them, especially the ones who do the long copy and paste from Neo-Conjob web sites and blogs, they get paid by the post. The same couple of people are all over the WP blogs. Even when they change their ids, it is still obvious who they are.

As an interested outsider watching this fascinating election I hope I’ve got the issues right…I’m sure someone without any bias will correct me if my analysis is a bit wrong.

The Republican Party has nominated John McCain to replace a Republican administration that he says is wasteful and is a ‘business as usual’ group of Washington insiders. He has been a part of the Washington inside for decades and not really made much fuss except to complain about candidate funding.

He delivered an acceptance speech that was almost identical to the one that George W. Bush delivered in 2000, promising change, an end to cronyism and a cross party administration. This being the one that gave the world Dick Cheney and the Neo-Cons.

John McCain has chosen a running mate who was quoted as saying that you don’t need to be an expert on foreign affairs to control foreign affairs. Is it true then that the USA doesn’t need an expert on finance to run the department of Commerce, an expert on transport to run transport etc? If you end up with a group of theologically driven ideologues running the Nation then that’s what you’ve got in Iran.

She says that it would be OK to engage in a global nuclear war with Russia to defend Georgia. Has she ever heard of Mutually Assured Destruction? A global nuclear war (and there can be no other between the USA and Russia) would destroy most of the cities of both the USA and Russia and would also wipe out the Georgians who are being defended, as well as most of Europe. The planet would be rendered inhabitable for hundreds of years in a nuclear winter and most of you and me will be dead from radiation sickness. Is this the grand plan to bring about the mythological ‘Rapture’? If so then no-one has asked my permission to take this step.

Why is it that there is so much focus on personalities rather than party politics? Surely leaders must be judged on their capacity to make complex decisions and not just have a set of beliefs. Nothing in the world has ever been changed simply because someone believed it should be changed, you actually need skilled planning and implementation.

I eagerly await the Right to blast me as not having the right to comment on internal US affairs (bit like the Chinese do) and the Left to blast me for not being ideological enough.

Dave: Obama has been being grilled and attaced by Hannity, et al, for more than a year. nothing new to say.

musing: none of the travel matter a bit. McCain dropped the whole experience thing when he picked her. the problem is that Palin keeps making bogus claims about her experience. I don't care that she hasn't been to Iraq, it's no big deal. Just don't make up a visit that didn't happen.

tiredofit: so Obama should agree to the town halls so that McCain will stop his despicable ads? that's blackmail. I couldn't believe that was McCain's defense to his attack ads. he practically said he was retaliating.

Anonymous: even Karl Rove said McCain's ads were over the line, and McCain has lost his convention bounce in the polls largely as a result of the fact that people are finding the McCain attack ads enlightening as to McCain's complete lack of integrity.

"Take some classes on economics. If you want to be a socialist- move to Europe and stand in line for your doctor for 5 months!"
????
Well, tell THAT to our neighbor here who's back from Iraq, NOT in one piece, and THE type of medical treatment he is getting: NONE!

Posted by: El Mugroso | September 15, 2008 1:52 AM

Reply to El Mugroso:

Hey Smartie, I am proud of all of our men and women in uniform and respect heroes like your neighbor and heroes like John McCain!!!

Military service in this great country is "voluntary" - no one put a gun on anybody's head to join. What were they thinking when they joined? That they will just be getting paid to sit at a base - at all times - while also getting free tuition and other benefits? In the risk of sounding insensitive to our wounded soldiers, I will say this, "I am sick and tired of the myth that we send our young people to die". I am sorry, but no one has sent anybody to die...our servicemen made that decision when they joined the military.

I have had relatives, who died fighting side by side with American heroes during WWII - of course perhaps you may have never even heard of "D-Day" or perhaps you may have never visited the American cemetery in Normandy...

Nice list, now how about also providing the sources? Anyone can post anything and claim it to be true. And I don't mean from a Neo-Conjob blog either.

I know for a fact some of her "accomplishments" were actually Democratic proffered legislation. Some where to against her desire but the State of Alaska would have faced law suites otherwise, and many of them are legislative initiatives which many if not most of the lower 48 already have on the books.

You might want to do some digging into the Pipeline to Nowhere. Her buddies up on the North Slope have her over a barrel on that one. TransCanada will never end up building it under the current deal she negotiated.

Sydney, you do understand that the Obama has also stated that he would approve of Georgia's induction into NATO right? If Georgia is a member state of NATO, then by definition we would be by there side in their defense of aggressors. Sarah Palin has stated that she is of the beleif that Georgia should be a member state of NATO, so I guess that means that Barack Obama would be willing to insitute MAD also then wouldn't it. Unless of course you have a quote from Palin about nuking Russia, and I'm certain that you don't.

So, enjoy having a night out with your wife of x amount of years, knowing she might get pregnant the same time your college kid is..

I am 50, on the pill, 6 kids and one grandbaby on the way. My husband sorta kinda drifted towards McCain until Palin's speech. He is in my court now, asking me if our daughters were on the pill and if were still paying for it, than he looks to me and said "Uhm yeah, I don't think we need anymore kids"

I am going to open a black market with the pill and condoms people. Hear Ya Hear Ya, get them cheap here. OMG< Get real people. She is one cancer mole away from being the PRESIDENT. For god sake.

And FWIW, the WaPo's editorial board with Fred Hiatt presiding, has been solidly pro-Bush.
------------------
I'm not one to post in these blogs, but I read this quote from Tokyo2nite and I just about fell out of my chair. There has been nothing pro-Bush or pro-Republican written in the the past 8 years.

Palin wouldn't tell this lie and Biden would plagiarize it into one of his speeches.

I have had relatives, who died fighting side by side with American heroes during WWII - of course perhaps you may have never even heard of "D-Day" or perhaps you may have never visited the American cemetery in Normandy...

Go McCain-Palin!!!!!!

Posted by: Natasha

------------------------------------------

Yeah well, my father was a Purple Heart recipient and nearly died in WWII and he was one of my heroes. He thought McCain was a phony and couldn't stand the guy.

Whether someone volunteered, is a member of the National Guard or was drafted in an earlier and probably so to be time, they deserve the best medical care this country has to offer. There is no imaginable or justifiable excuse for the treatment many of our vets are receiving when they come home from Iraq. His neighbor's story is far from an isolated event.

Military service in this great country is "voluntary" - no one put a gun on anybody's head to join. What were they thinking when they joined? That they will just be getting paid to sit at a base - at all times - while also getting free tuition and other benefits? etc. -Natasha-
==============================
"It's voluntary" is a LIE. Many of us got drafted into the foolishness of the Viet-Nam war and several of my direct acquaintances and friends DIED THERE. It was MANDATORY DRAFT.
-On the other hand, Bush, the "commander in chief" just sits on his but and "gives-up" playing golf "as a sacrifice for the Nation" while over 4,0000 young lads have DIED and THOUSANDS have been crippled in response to a War BASED ON LIES.

Sydney, you do understand that the Obama has also stated that he would approve of Georgia's induction into NATO right? If Georgia is a member state of NATO, then by definition we would be by there side in their defense of aggressors. Sarah Palin has stated that she is of the beleif that Georgia should be a member state of NATO, so I guess that means that Barack Obama would be willing to insitute MAD also then wouldn't it. Unless of course you have a quote from Palin about nuking Russia, and I'm certain that you don't.

Posted by: truthseeker

-------------------------------------------

Well except you omit one salient point which even Bush, Cheney and Rice know, the Georgian president provoked and flung the door open for the Russians. Sure they were just looking for an excuse, and he gave it to them. He was warned and he still did it. Would you push the button under those circumstances? Unfortunately now the Georgian people suffer from the acts of someone who I fear is a fine example of Palin's restraint. No, not a shred of proof, just intuition. What about McCain? He's made himself irrelevant, its the Palin-McCain ticket now and he knows it.

You know, there's a really easy way to settle all these questions about whether Sarah Palin knows anything or has enough experience/talent/ability to be one of our country's (and one of the world's) leaders.

She could meet with real reporters in a real press conference and answer questions that she hasn't spent two weeks "studying" for. Every other leader in the world does this, and the smarter, better ones do it regularly. It's part of their job. They don't demand to be treated with deference. News flash: We're not their royal subjects. And neither is the press. Journalists ask questions on our behalf. When politicians refuse to talk to reporters, then they're refusing to answer to us. I sincerely doubt that anyone gives a fig about her kids now. She's given us plenty of other things to wonder about.

If Sarah Palin doesn't have the skills, the courage, or the knowledge to undergo something so fundamental as a press conference, then why on earth would we elect her as part of this ticket? Would you buy a car you haven't driven and don't know anything about? Would marry someone that somebody else picked out for you? Would you REALLY elect someone as a leader of the free world without bothering to find out more about her record, her ideas, her background?

McCain is asking us to trust him on his impulsive blind date. That alone tells me his judgment is terrible. But the unceasing string of flat-out lies, exaggerations, distortions, and evasions large and small that have undeniably emerged from the Palin/McCain campaign in the past two weeks tells me that we're dealing with a paper cut-out doll with a doctorate in BS.

And frankly, I'm insulted as an American that I'm expected to shut up, not ask questions, and not wonder why they're hiding her away and whether she can handle herself in anything beyond a pep rally and an interview during which she trotted out canned answers, confusing doubletalk, and some statements that just plain did not make sense. As an Alaskan, I'm just flat-out embarrassed.

The McCain campaign is clearly afraid to let Palin off their leash. Any reasonable person, no matter what party, would surely wonder what they are so afraid that we will find out.

And comparing her press treatment with that of Clinton, Biden, Obama or even McCain is just plain stupid. Anyone with a brain has had the past year, even two years, to do some reading, some listening, some research, and some thinking. Don't tell me that the charade we're now asked to accept is anywhere near that level of scrutiny. It's beyond laughable.

Up here in Alaska, we have LOTS of questions we'd like her to answer--truthfully, that is. She promised Alaskans a transparent government, and she promised us that she would cooperate with the Legislature's investigation of Troopergate, and now she's refusing to cooperate and she's all lawyered up. She's withholding 1100 emails based on "executive privilege," some of which were copied to Todd Palin, whom we did not elect. He was just subpoenaed. This whole affair has nothing to do with the trooper; it has everything to do with abuse of power. Do you really want an elected leader who uses her office to carry out personal vendettas?

But if you're fine with your elected leaders looking people right in the eye and lying to them, then Palin's for you. That's one part of her record that is transparent. So just close your eyes and vote.

Quote: "As long as you Palin-supporters are so active here, would someone please explain Palin's answer to me?

GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?

PALIN: They're our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.

In what way does that even begin to answer the question?"

Posted by: Joe C from Austin | September 15, 2008 2:25 AM

Reply to Joe C from Austin:

If you knew anything about geopolitical issues you would have understood her answer. Of course, what she meant is that due to the proximity of Alaska to Russia (yes you can see Russia from Alaska) our Defense/military contigencies up there are different than in any other state.

I am sure she was not about to reveal sensitive "top secret" - national security related information to Charlie Gibson, you and, me! Her answer - as stupid as it may have sounded to you - was most appropriate. Unless of course, you wanted her to tell you what she knows - I am sure as the Governor of a State like Alaska, which is in Russia's backyard, she knows and does a heck of a lot more than the average left wing liberals can even comprehend. Half of them can not even find Russia or Georgia on the map - let alone judge Palin's answer about Russia.

Hey Smartie, I am proud of all of our men and women in uniform and respect heroes like your neighbor and heroes like John McCain. -Natasha-
-------------------------------
I'm glad you have the respect. But no one is interested in whether you have it or not, at this moment.
-It's about sanity of judgment, decency, and truthfulness of the candidates that propose to lead this Nation, and those who do not have the will to abide in those values, may have the the right, but certainly not the respect, and those who follow the blind who are leading the blind end Nowhere. Just like the bridge.

I believe that is exactly what Obama did right? He first exacted a 'moral equivalency', and then, since he had no idea what to do in that situation as an American president should, he said that the U.N. security council should handle it!! Of course as EVERYONE now knows, the Russians have veto power there. So once again Barack Obama voted 'Present'. I think 'Out to Lunch' would be more like it. And NO, I would not be pushing the button, and it is obvious what the new old guard in Russia is trying to do there and its NOT okay. Putin and his cronies are pissed that Gorbachev wanted to give freedom to his people that they had never known and this is just one of the many steps they are willing to take in order to save face and increase power, etc, etc... everything that true Kremlin Communism is all about.

Truthseeker: Anon, it is a shame that you lost friends in Vietnam, but this is not Vietnam. There is no draft and has not been for a long time, this standing army IS a volunteer army, and they CHOSE TO ENLIST.
.....................
"Voluntary" is only a word. "Choice" is only a word.
-Many of the enlistees come from poor families who have no economic way to college and have no jobs, or are duped by "bonuses". And, on bonuses, there's a major news investigative report showing the case of at least one crippled soldier from Iraq who has been asked, in writing, to return a prorated portion of bonus given to him for enlisting, on the basis that "He did not complete his contract".
-That's the Bush shame of which we do not want four more years.

"I am convinced McCain had very little to do with the selection of Palin."

I think this is where the meat is. On the View he seemed genuinely surprised when they asked him why he put his name on those ads when he knew they were lies. He replied that Palin hadn't taken any earmarks after becoming governor. You will notice that during the Gibson interviews Palin wiggled out of the earmark lie by changing her tune to that she didn't "abuse" earmarks. But McCain, one to two days later, was still on TV denying she even took earmarks.

I got the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he doesn't know that they are lies. Like Bush in the "Angler" story today, that McCain is being kept in a bubble by his handlers and knows only what they choose to feed him,and that he's just not quite sharp enough anymore to grasp his situation.

Why is this a problem? Because his handlers are the same people running Washington right now! If he can't run his own campaign, he can't run the country. It really will be Bush III.

So why did they choose Palin? Anybody read the Angler series in Wapo? The president was only stopped from assuming dictator powers by the threat of mass resignations at Justice. But they've now packed Justice with political cronies, and you can be sure that McCain's AG will be hand picked to be a lackey much as Gonzales. If McCain is doddering enough to think Palin never accepted an earmarks as Governor with Palin as the biggest cool-aid drinker they could find, who will stand up for freedom?

John McCain is to be commended for his survival as a P.O.W. I do not think this makes him qualified to be Commander in Chief - I think he is more likely to be brain damaged, broken, and mentally ill. His demeanor supports this.
Sarah Palin is the scariest person I have been exposed to since George Bush in 2000 or the boogey man at six. She is reaching back into dark pasts for Americans and women. I am an aware, involved and socially active progressive woman, and I am shivered by the times.

hawki123
Palin was soooo accepting of her daughter's pregnancy, she banished her to live with her sister. Word is she was furious and in fact did kick her out.
Come on folks. Stop talking about this non-event. She is so patently not suited to be stand-in to the presidency. And yes, Obama is up to the job of being president! Why? Becaue he is intelligent, thoughtful, well-informed and a credit to the USA. He is a constitutional expert and has bothered to stay informed on the major issues facing the country and the world. Be proud of him! Palin couldn't even be bothered to be as well-informed as your average citizen - has no idea about what has been going on in Iraq, except that it is a task from God. For heaven's sake the woman is hearing voices. Please don't elect another lunatic.

THE BUSH DOCTRINE FOR DUMMIES, according to El Mugroso
==================================
Even Charlie the interviewer didn't quite get it right, so here it is:
---------
Everyone in the USA and in the civilized world KNOWS that the Bush Doctrine advocates the right to ATTACK ANY COUNTRY that Bush BELIEVES or is lead to believe, has, or may have, now, or in the future "NO-CLEAR" WEAPONS of mass destruction, on the basis of there being a threat to our national security, so help us God.

1) Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. -Mark-
-------------------------
That's not true as far as Obama policy.
-BUT, it is true that if they drive to work, it'd be in the public interest for safety reasons that they have a drivers license and meet the requirements, including insurance. As to taxes that build our rods, they do pay them. Why force more problems where there's more than enough?

Sarah Palin, in fact, wanted (and may still want) Alaska to separate from the Union. She and her husband were members of a separatist party. Of course that's very interesting to OIL magnates who are now backing her.

Putin wants Obama to win! Does that tell you anything? Obama's foreign policy is similar to Jimmy Carter who had the worst foreign policy of any post WWII president. He left our people in Iran being humiliated and tortured to no end, hmmmm, Reagan had that situation under control in no time. And the rest of the world for that matter! My family is free because of Reagan and they were enslaved by Stalin because of FDR's weakness and both of them playing chess with my family's country.

Take some history lessons too! Natasha, thanks for your enlightening and correctly asserted positions on socialism and where this country is headed. People like you are more American than many who hate our country that were born here. Welcome to America, let us keep her free!

El- check factfinder before you spread your lies. Sarah was never wanted Alaska to separate from the Union. That is a lie and a false statement. Check your facts before you spread rumors. Even on ABC, the left wing media, said this was not true about her!

1) Driver's licenses for illegal immigrants. - Well Mark, since prior and current administrations have been completely ineffective at keeping them out of the country, you think they should drive around while your kids are on the road without a license, without being able to read enough traffic signs to pass the permit test? Without sitting for an exam? How much uninsured driver coverage you got? How much more are you willing to pay in taxes to pay for border agents to vet the motor vehicle bureaus in every state?

2) Affirmative Action expansion and enforcement. - JGee Mark, the Wall Street Journal did a big spread of affirmative action in college admissions a year or two ago, and I wondered why until a friend explained to me that if college admission is required by law to depend on academic record only, George Bush and John McCain and the other mediocre children of monied families won't be getting into their legacy schools anymore. And what's good for rich republicans is apparently what's good for the country.

3) Surrender to terrorists in Iraq - Mark, someone forgot to tell Gen Petraeus that. BBC "Sep 11, 2008 ... The outgoing commander of US troops in Iraq says he will never declare victory there, adding the US faces "a long struggle"."

4) Tax hikes acorss the board on people of all income levels. Well Mark I could tell you about the policy analysis showing Obama's plan cuts more taxes than McCain, but why insult your intelligence. We owe our souls to the Chinese, our treasury is bled dry, we have invested a pittance in the research needed to make us energy independent, our infrastructure is aging rapidly, our financial institutitions seem to be lining up one by one to commit hari-kari.....in what lala land do you not see that someone's going to have to pay for it? If Obama is elected Pres the Congress will tip back over the Repubs, and vice versa. Between the Pres and Congress you can bet your sweet patootie that the little guy will bear the brunt no matter who is in the White House, and if you don't believe that I've got this bridge to nowhere that I'd like to sell you.

5) You can't provide the best health care for all Americans ("as good as congress gets") without dramatically increasing taxes on all Americans. Proof that Obama is a liar. Well Mark, I am indeed happy for you that you have adequate health care to meet your needs...today. My employer took away the "out of pocket" maximums in our coverage this year for all but the most expensive plans having a $2200 deductible. So, after working almost 30 years, if something big happens to me or my family, we will now owe 20% of infinity. But I don't see the US having a Canadian system, I see us having a British system - side by side private and public health care, so that people who want to opt out of the public health care and go to private hospitals with no wait have the freedom to do so.

El- You give the president way too much power. Our country does not have a dictator. Our country is run by checks and balances that is why we have a house and congress. Congress is the power in the US and Congress happens to be controlled by left wing liberals for the past 2 years.

"If you knew anything about geopolitical issues you would have understood her answer. Of course, what she meant is that due to the proximity of Alaska to Russia (yes you can see Russia from Alaska) our Defense/military contigencies up there are different than in any other state."

Posted by: Natasha

-------------------------------------------

And if you knew anything about the difference between the State of Alaska's responsibilities and the Federal Governments responsibilities, you would know she has almost zero, nada, nothing to do with the defense/military contingencies there. You're making stuff up and you know it (I hope).

You're a paid Neo-Conjob poster and not a very good one at that. You just post things about Obama which were debunk many months ago. But since you get paid by the post, so what, right?

Please do check facts. Palin's HUSBAND, belonged to the Separatist society. She was only an invited speaker to one of their conventions. Having just watched two conventions it seems unlikely they would not invite speakers unless they were kindred spirts, but her name appears on no records as a member of this group.

As far as the book banning, then Mayor Palin asked about a book called "Daddy's Roommate". She was told by someone who had not read it that it was not offensive or inappropriate for you children facing such a life situation. It was suggested she read the book before she passed judgement on it, but replied that she did not need to read it to know it was inappropriate. There were "hypothetical questions' about books not being in the library and the possibility of picketing the library. The librarian was fired, but reinstated after public outcry. No books were actually banned.

Quote: "Sarah Palin, in fact, wanted (and may still want) Alaska to separate from the Union. She and her husband were members of a separatist party. Of course that's very interesting to OIL magnates who are now backing her."
Posted by: El Mugroso | September 15, 2008 3:35 AM

Reply to El Mugroso:

STOP spreading rumors that you read in Obama campaign emails and some sleezy internet sites. Your comment is as true as some "photoshopped" Palin photos, which are circulated by Obama sleezy campaign staffers.

No she isn't, she may hold those sentiments, but she was not a member. He was, but she wasn't. I wonder if the "Fisrt Dude" would be allowed to sit in on National Security Council meetings should the Palin-McCain ticket win? He's an ever present figure around the Governor's office and the Alaskan legislatures have a quip they ask themselves, :What would Todd do?" Seems you get two for the price of one with Palin.

STOP spreading rumors that you read in Obama campaign emails and some sleezy internet sites. Your comment is as true as some "photoshopped" Palin photos, which are circulated by Obama sleezy campaign staffers.

Posted by: Natasha

---------------------------------------------

Why should he when you keep posting the same from sleazy Neo-Conjob web sites and the Palin-McCain campaign.

It is really sad that it took a British newspaper to set the record straight. Our own media clowns have not done anything to let the public know that some sleezy photos of Sarah Palin, which are circulated on the Internet by left-wingers - Obama supporters are in fact FAKE!! Our media clowns have have embarrased us in the eyes of the rest of the World!

Sarah Palin photoshopped...

The Sunday Times - London, UK

Sarah Palin in pictures and video

By Nico Hines

Photoshopped! A familiar refrain and a common tool for mocking the political elite - with Sarah Palin, however, it can be quite tricky to work out which of the pictures in circulation are real. (story continuous here)

Actually, wasn't the thread of this blog why is Palin getting off pretty much scot free for lying?

On Sept 11 she told her son's unit they were going to fight the terrorists who killed and celebrate the killing of thousands of Americans. In the context of the day and the entire speech, it is clear the reference meant they were going to Iraq to fight the perpetrators of 9-11. But if you examine her actual words, she only made the link by parsing the words, not the words themselves. The woman is a natural George Bush - parsing words to make lies in context, but not being able to prove the lie when you take the words out of context. Imagine if your teenager did it (but mom/dad I never said there would be parents at the party, I only said the parents would be home, its your fault you did ask if the party was in a hotel room - I never lied to you, you have no right to say I lied to you)

What proof do you have it was in fact a "left winder - Obama supports" who did it? Is it any better or worse than the smears which have been spread by the "right wingers - Palin/McCain - Neo-Conjob" supporters? They are all equally wrong no matter where they come from, just like you being a paid Neo-Conjob poster spewing lies here is wrong.

Well, we certainly know how much speakers at a political convention are likely to disagree with the party who invited them to speak, don't we. I bet there's video of her speech somewhere, although like those 1600 emails of hers about troopergate, it may have conveniently disappeared.

Quote: "Why should he when you keep posting the same from sleazy Neo-Conjob web sites and the Palin-McCain campaign.
Do as I say and not as I do?
What time is it in Southeast Asia?
Paid Neo-Conjob poster warning!"
Posted by: Oh brother! | September 15, 2008 3:59 AM

Reply to Oh brother:

My sources are posted. Perhaps you may want to be more specific which comments you consider to be rumors. So-

You mean what time-zone in America! None of your business...really! (it is obvious you did not read my earlier comments - plese do - you can learn something!)

Yes, I found it rather interesting that Palin and her inner core used personal (i.e. not state provided) email accounts to conduct "business". So much for transparency.

For those who think it comes from a left-winger blog or web site, you can read it for yourselves at www.adn.com and several mainstream (well you do claim they are all biased so maybe they don't count) news outlets.

If you want a classic example of cronyism just take a look at Palin's appointments. Makes old GWB look like a piker.

The New York Times:
--------------------------
Alaskan Independence Party officials released a statement Monday saying that Ms. Palin had been a member for two years, from 1994 to 1996, information included in reports in The New York Times and other news outlets.
--------------------------
Ms. Palin’s political philosophy is also often compared to that of Walter J. Hickel, the former Alaska governor and interior secretary in the Nixon administration who was re-elected governor on the Alaskan Independence Party ticket in 1990. Mr. Hickel, a big backer of Ms. Palin, re-registered as a Republican in 1994.
-----------------------------
Here's a video of Sarah Palin addressing the Alaska Independence Party Convention, in YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwvPNXYrIyI
Her husband was a member and Sarah is a sympathizer.
-These are NOT El Mugroso's "rumors".

Yes I did read them and I did learn something and it speaks leagues about you. You still haven't convinced me you are in the US, in fact you never said you weren't. You simply answered with a question. Kind of like Palin does. Nor that you weren't a paid poster.

Most your "sources" are weak and biased at best. I have no desire to get my "facts" from either right or left wingnut sites and blogs. I'll stay in the middle myself.

Quote: "Jon Klein, president of CNN, has issued a statement in support of Brown's interview. "Campbell Brown did what journalists do," Klein said Tuesday evening. "She asked fair and important questions in a respectful way and was simply trying to get a straight answer to a straightforward question." Jon Klein, President CNN.

To Jon Klein, President of CNN:

I am not surprised with your idiotic statement. You have the audacity to call Campbell Brown's utterly rude behavior, "respectful"???!!! Either you think that we are stupid or you must be smoking something funny, or for that matter you yourself do not know the difference between "polite" and "rude" and the difference between "calm and collected" and "neurotic-psychotic" behavior.

Yes, Campbell Brown is a neurotic and rude anchor lady - this is not the first time she has been rude to her guests. Perhaps Mr. Klein=clown you were better off having done your own homework in "VETTING" Ms. Campbell Brown. She is a disgrace to serious journalism together with Mr. Hafferty!

With the exception of a few anchors and correspondents, whom I have always respected (and who keep you still in business) such as John King, Christian Amanpour, Candy Crawly, etc. the rest of your "pretty faces" are "knuckle heads" who - I repeat - are a disgrace to serious journalism.

I prefer to remember the good old CNN that you have destroyed, Sir.

No wonder why - for example - BBC World News and BBC America are increasingly more and more in demand by American households. The fact that most satellite services and cable operators offer BBC World News instead of CNN International - offered only to 6 million households in the US a country the population of which is 300 million should tell you something Sir - that more viewers prefer BBC over CNN!!

I am very glad that the McCain campaign pulled the McCain interview from the Larry King Show at CNN. I am also very happy that the McCain campaign has informed the CNN circus network that they will no longer answer any questions by your staff concerning Governor Palin's private family life or any questions by you regarding her vetting, which in the final analysis is none of your business. Senator McCain and Governor Palin are doing the right thing to ignore you CNN! They are not going to allow you to treat Governor Palin the same way you treated Senator Hillary Clinton during her campaign. Alleluia, it is about time somebody has the guts to tell you off CNN - Long Live McCain!

In the mean-time, I suggest that you put Ms. Campbell Brown on some tranquilizers or better yet - FIRE HER!!

1. Do people in the lower 48 know their taxes went to Alaska anyway, whether the "BRIDGE" was or was not built? Makes no difference...We still got soaked for 400 billion that went to Alaska !

2. Do people know that much Palin claims were not her decisions but were taken out of her hands, much as Bush and his inexperience gave Cheney all the power.

As I understand it, the PLANE was sold to a Palin insider for a loss to Alaska.

Just one more question...If Juneau, Alaska is the state capital and 600 miles from Palin's hometown, and she spent 300+ days there in Wasilla and billed the state per diem, and she was only Governor 22 months....she either wasn't on the job much of the time...or where are the records of the costs of her traveling back and forth???

No she isn't, she may hold those sentiments, but she was not a member. He was, but she wasn't. I wonder if the "Fisrt Dude" would be allowed to sit in on National Security Council meetings should the Palin-McCain ticket win? He's an ever present figure around the Governor's office and the Alaskan legislatures have a quip they ask themselves, :What would Todd do?" Seems you get two for the price of one with Palin.

Posted by: Oh brother! | September 15, 2008 3:56 AM
=========================
Two for the price of one?
-Heaven forbid this fake bargain-
Palin's husband has been subpoenaed in the ON-GOING case for her abuse of power, and part of the reason is that he was getting "c.c.'d" (being sent copies) of administrative e-mails to his personal account.

As much as I think most of the CNN reporters and correspondents are a waste, I actually thought Brown asked very pertinent questions and it was obvious Bounds was being evasive. The Palin-McCain campaign is the one that tried to release this under the radar on a holiday weekend and it backfired.

Now the Neo-Conjobs are trying to smear her by bringing up her father? Where's the relevance in that? What has that got to do with anything in the interview. Bounds is a weeny, sleaze ball, liar, all he needed to do was give a straight answer, but he couldn't.

Gee, you're making out pretty well this morning, how much have you rung up so far?

Yes I did read them and I did learn something and it speaks leagues about you. You still haven't convinced me you are in the US, in fact you never said you weren't. You simply answered with a question. Kind of like Palin does. Nor that you weren't a paid poster.

Most your "sources" are weak and biased at best. I have no desire to get my "facts" from either right or left wingnut sites and blogs. I'll stay in the middle myself.

Posted by: Oh brother! | September 15, 2008 4:23 AM'
========================
No one speaks for me but myself, and I do not speak for anyone but for myself. I own no sources, and I do not aim to convince anyone, but do hope that those who can see, see and don't get deceived by the greed of others, or their own.
-Those who do not want to see is a separate issue, for one who does not want to see if even worse than one who has no eyes.

I don't think even the paid Neo-Conjob posters believe what they post. Maybe it's kind of like the people who work in call centers trying to scam old folks of their savings. Somehow they have the ability to do something dishonest and despicable at work, yet can rationalize it and sleep at night. I couldn't do such a think myself

Quote: "Natasha - Yes I did read them and I did learn something and it speaks leagues about you. You still haven't convinced me you are in the US, in fact you never said you weren't. You simply answered with a question. Kind of like Palin does. Nor that you weren't a paid poster.

Most your "sources" are weak and biased at best. I have no desire to get my "facts" from either right or left wingnut sites and blogs. I'll stay in the middle myself.

Posted by: Oh brother! | September 15, 2008 4:23 AM

Reply to Oh brother!:

Once again - no specifics... Oh, I see...you consider the LA Times or the Sunday Times, UK - right wingers...In that case, I consider the New York Times a... left winger!

Please stop harassing me as to my location, etc. It is really none of your business. Thank you and have a good night!

This woman must be properly vetted by the media. And it will be grossly hypocritical if Palin does not get the same scrutiny that Hillary Clinton received. Is there one standard for the Republicans and another for the Democrats.

Unfortunately, the media has done a poor job recently and is as guilty as the Republican party in stoking the flames of the culture wars and of the entertainment value of little distractions instead of focusing on major issues. They've lost their credibility, so who is left as the arbiter to get to the facts and decide. It's becoming my opinion, regardless of the facts, is just as your opinion. The moral relativity inherent in some of the debates swirling around Palin as VP candidate is frightening.

When someone like Karl Rove, the master of obfusication and lying and spin, calls on people to grow up and be adults, I just laugh. Pot/kettle/black?

Who will be the grownups in this campaign. I love your editorial and long for truth and an end of the hypocrisy, but how? When? You know there is already a double standard and it doesn't seem to make a difference. But thanks for writing it anyway. Someone has to stand up for what is reasonable.

The press got duped on the Iraq War.
-They MUST NOT this time, on the character, qualifications, and capabilities of the parties' nominees.
-Whoever gets duped by lipstick on a pig can be rightfully be called a fool-

False facts about Sarah Palin - In today's Guardian Newspaper in London, they also say that she never visited Russia - that she only looked at it from the plane in the sky! (www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/15/uselections2008.sarahpalin), best John Tucker

Sarah Palin is a breath of fresh air indeed! I am supporting her not just because she is a woman but because I believe that she has the guts and the smarts to shake up some Washington "empty suits". And, there are plenty of them!

Go Saraaaaaah! And do not worry about the rhetoric that you are not ready to be "Commander in Chief".... Obama is running for that position and does not have any executive experience or your guts to cross partylines. He accuses Senator McCain for having voted 90% of the time with the Republicans but what Obama is not telling us is that he has voted 97% of the time with his buddies the Democrats.

Obama speaks of all these "miracles" that he will perform once elected but he has failed - for a year now - to tell us how he is going to pay for it! I do not know how on earth he will reduce taxes for 95% of Americans as he promises and pay for the rest of his "miracle change" without blowing up the national deficit to quadrillions!!! All his speeches (rhetoric) sure sound impressive however he is not telling us something that we have never heard before by every politician who runs for President! Have you not heard any candidate in the past not promising good schools, good roads, more money in your pocket, less crime on the streets? Hey, we have heard it before!

Do not be afraid of the Washington status quo Sarah Palin! They will attack you plenty but that is because they are worried that you will shake things up! Trust me, they are not really worried about what will happen to the country if you have to become Commander in Chief should something tragic happen... 90% of Washington politicians do not even know what the Truman Doctrine was - let alone being experts for example in Eastern European geopolitical issues! Is anybody trying to tell us that all previous Presidents had a degree in Political Science or Foreign Relations? Yeah sure...I am going to laugh!

We need a hands on "outsider" to shake up Washington. The National Security and safety of our country first requires a real "patriot" in office with great judgment, who will surround herself with an excellent team. Sarah Palin is a true patriot, she has demonstrated excellent judgment during her career, and she has the guts to bring real change!!!

Quote: "False facts about Sarah Palin - In today's Guardian Newspaper in London, they also say that she never visited Russia - that she only looked at it from the plane in the sky!"(www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/sep/15/uselections2008.sarahpalin), best John Tucker

Reply to John Tucker:

Palin never mentioned that she has visited Russia.

I read the article - it has absolutely nothing to do with a trip to Russia. Perhaps next time you should read more carefully before you quote sources.

The rest about her other trips we have already heard from our media circus - the... "24-hour-news-for-dummies" networks.

Natasha, your faith and belief is childlike and truly inspiring, but truly naive.

I would venture to say that yes, 90% of politicians in Washington D.C. do indeed know what the Truman Doctrine was. Do you? I worked on the Hill and believe me, most congressional staffers and their bosses have a very good grasp of foreign policy issues. Most staffers have at least a masters degree from some reputable university or they wouldn't be hired as the competition is so stiff for jobs. Even the lowliest secretary has at least a B.A. from a very reputable University.

Anyway, that's off the point. Please cite some evidence of what makes you believe Sarah Palin can shake up Washington when she has only shaken up Alaskan politics to her own personal benefits.

She has lobbied and accepted earmark funding, she was for the bridge to nowhere before she was against it, she is guilty of hiring cronies and friends like anyone else in Washington. I actually think she'd fit right in the D.C. scene.

Upon orbit eight of the planet complete, the voiced mannequin will be crowned, not "Miss Congeniality", but "Mrs. Nowhere" and the one of name like shrub will no longer and one in contrast to the shade of the abode will be in command.
....................
-I am Nostradamus and know nothing-

Palin was the choice of ONE very impulsive man who did not know her, and did not take time to know her. His Party enthusiastically rubber-stamped his action.

Now the Press is trying to do what McCain campaign failed to do.

The mainstream press was relentless on Hillary Clinton (the tabloids and blogworld, savage), and she dealt with all that scrutiny. She and her husband complained about sexism, and the press may have backed off a little but the scrutiny did not.

The tabloids and the blogworld do not spare anyone, and the Clintons weren't spared either. That's what happens, despite condemnation of trespasses.

Remember what they did NOT do to Obama ?

For a position a heartbeat away from a President, a relatively unknown on a national scene is going to be more rigorously scrutinized than many others who have had national exposure, briefly or for long. Quite justifiable, but the children should be off-limits.

Such are the occupational hazards of public life ! And why many talented people shun it (very unfortunate).

Quote: "I never in a million years thought I would be adding my own comments, but here goes it. First off, I am not committed to any presidential party as of yet, therefore, I am not partial to any one side. Second, I believe for the educated obvious reason, that those who congratulate Ms. Brown are those who undoubtedly do so on a partial basis.

This, Ms. Brown/Tucker situation is not about the questions and the alleged unprepared response of the Republican party, and this is not about the Republicans "running from CNN." I watched the entire segment unfold and I was appalled. I kept thinking, out loud, as Ms. Brown kept hammering her questions in the interruptive fashion that she continued, "would you just shut up and let him talk."

I was really wondering what CNN would be thinking of this disgrace, of Ms. Brown's hostility, of Ms. Brown's very personal agenda, of Ms. Brown's lack of professionalism and if that was not enough, of Ms. Brown's conclusive "baby" remark. Wow! Unprofessionalism at its best. Ms. Brown, this is very personal for you, isn't it? I have been noting your biased opinions for a long time. I just laughed at how miserable it must be to actually feel so jealous to the point that you literally lose control. I wonder, what got under your skin? This situation was intolerant and hostile, and I would say quite embarrassing. Your colleagues and station know this as well. I can see the "clean up" they are trying to do on your behalf in spite of the fact that John Klein "says" he supports you.

John Klein; bad move not to acknowledge to the public a poor performing employee such as Ms. Brown. Anyway, have it your way Mr. Klein, things have a way of working out in the end. Although I am including an opinion, its really no skin off my back. I can only change what I have control over and I decide for starters to just tune you and yours out. You have had plenty of time to quell Ms. Brown, this situation is not a first, its just the "straw that broke the camels back." She has been disgusting for a long time. I hope, John Klein, you reprocess your priorities."

So, when was last time that USA elected first term president with experience in foreign politics? Lets go back in past... Bush Jr - no. Clinton? He was only student in England, otherwise no. Bush Sr - yes. Reagan - no. Carter - no. If Democrats were so crazy about foreign politics experience, and didn't wanted Clinton, they should have picked Bill Richardson... But apparently some in media go now by narrative who-has-more experienced-VP-candidate. Like top guy on ticket is not so important (Chaney axiom). Look, if Democrats want to win, they should prove they'll do better stewards of national economy. Jumping like doggy and trying to catch every ball Republicans throw won't bring you there...

Now millions of Americans, many of them originally fascinated with Sarah Palin when she spoke before the Republican national convention in St Paul, must know by now that this totally unknown and nondescript politician is completely not ready and not able to take over as President of these United States--just in case.

She may continue to prevaricate, obfuscate, distort, lie and hallucinate on till November, but America voters are neither stupid nor fools. They know that it takes more than sharp teeth, strong jaws, and a vicious temper to act as President.

.. and public employees do not "invoice" per-diem for living at home, specially when they are provided an official residence.
-They may, however itemize such expenses in their IRS form. AND, if they have received per-diem, for WHATEVER REASON, then it MUST be listed as INCOME, specially for a whole year, as is the case of S. Palin. She needs to be vetted and make her IRS records public. HIllary, Obama, Biden, all have done it.

The republican's are loosing it big time. Listen, someone needs to start actually figuring out the truth about this woman and why McCain really picked her? She's not ready good grief my college professors were more prepared. I know republicans think every republican is qualified I mean good grief they elected Bush twice and boy oh' boy that has worked so well. Bush the reformer, the mavrick, the guy that didn't know a darn thing but he could grill, cut trees, and lie to the American people, start 2 wars ( remember the wars and the soldiers people) destroy the banking system, housing system, the military infrastructure, the judicial system, the constitution, the schools, and medicare and social security all in 2 terms. If you thought Bush was ready to be president not once but twice then there is no use in trying to inform you about the inadequacies of Palin or McCain you'll buy whatever their selling hook line and sinker. The problem is that republicans only think about the present what is happening at this moment, they don't look at what will be the effects down the line. Look at the way they fund the wars, the burden will be on our children and grandchildren. Look at their ideas about energy, drill baby drill, well o.k. but in 10 years 15 years we will still be in the same boat and leave the mess to our kids and grandkids. Why on God's green earth after 8 years of oil men in charge would we want to put the queen of oil in the white house? At times I feel like I'm watching a repeat of the lack of reporting in the lead up to the war in Iraq. The msm has done a horrible job in the past 3 months reporting on anything that really will affect us and on the candidates. So, in the end the msm will be the scapegoats like always because they were scared to offend a "war hero?" and to be called sexist for even considering to question Palin on anything. The victimization of the McCain campaign is pathetic. McCain's campaign cries foul for asking any thing about Palin, cries foul because Obama didn't do town hall meetings with him "so no McCain gets to out and out lie?", cries foul because someone calls him out of touch. Geez, it has become a joke, they are running on the victimization of sexisim and ageism, and every other "ism" there is. In the meantime did anyone check out what the front page stories were, did anyone realize that the U.S. military took bad information from another tribal leader in Afgahnistan and bombed and killed 90 innocent civilians there 60 of which were children? Does anyone care that there is a housing and a banking industry problem in Britian, that Russia's stock market is falling, that there are questions in North Korea about Kim Jung Il, that things are not well in the government in Isreil, Africa is still having problems with Mugabe, Hamid Karzi, is failing in Afgahnistan, several places in Iraq are fixing to blow up, Mexico has a civil war basically on the border between drug terrorist and the government, Russia and Venezula are getting buddy, buddy. I could go on and on and here in America the American people are talking about lipstick? This is not a soap opera people, we have had 8 years of republican rule and a lot of you had better wake up and start asking questions this is not a popularity contest we had two of those one in 2000 and again in 2004 and the popularity winner screwed us over bad. If you want a beauty queen and a hero be prepared for the outcome we've seen what we get with the guy you want to have a beer with has done.

Natasha you are one off the wall young lady. The school Obama went to was a christian school dear, did you miss that bit or are you stupid? He could not be registered as a muslim dear because he is not a muslim and never has been.

What I don't understand is how the stupid woman could give a stump speech in Nevada and treat the morons with such contempt that she repeated the same lies that were debunked over 2 weeks ago.

What sort of imbeciles then turn around and say "she is just like us", what do they mean? That she is a lying idiot and so are they?

Good grief, have Americans lost their marbles worshipping at the liars feet while their economy falls down around their ears.

Quote: "I would venture to say that yes, 90% of politicians in Washington D.C. do indeed know what the Truman Doctrine was. Do you?"

Nanci- Yes, I know all about the Truman Doctrine, thank you. Do you?

Would you like to even see a video of the actual speech by that great man? A refresher course perhaps? Obviously you missed my "History lesson #1 and #2 - an earlier comment of mine on this blog!

And, no you have not convinced me that 90% of Washington politicians have a clue about Foreign Policy before they are appointed to their posts. How much experience did JFK or Ronald Reagan have? Perhaps more than Obama - since you apparently focus only on Palin and not the top of the ticket!

I bet Obama/90% of politicians in DC do not even know what NATO ACT stands for and what it really means. I am certain McCain-Palin know the answer. They just do not advertise it because the left-wingers will say, "Oh, this NATO ACT sounds like the Bush Doctrine" - quicly accusing McCain-Palin of "more of the same" (that old Obama song).

Well, perhaps NATO ACT does sound a bit like the McCain Doctrine to me!!

Is the Post unwilling to scrutinize Obama for fear of being labeled racist? Seriously, what do we really know of Obama? How is it that he uses the Justice Department to block information about him? And what is this crap about Ireland and Iraq? Palin went to Kuwait to visit her Alaskan National Guard troops serving there. This was in 2007 when she was just doing her job as governor, not as a political photo-op to look presidential. Let's scrutinize character here. Obama took his trip after a challenge from McCain. He could care less about the troops. Not what I want to see in a Commander-in-Chief.

The media as an aggregate influence on the American electorate has been disastrous. Rush Limbaugh has set the standard for political discussion and Fox and especially CNN have done their best to emulate and out shout him. The result is that, over the years, this influence has stunted the minds of far too many voters. Look at the comments to this article and to any other serious piece of journalism and ask yourself how much thought is put into the comments, then ask yourself what critical thinking the commentors are capable of and how well versed on the issues they are and how fair they have chosen to be. This is why America is assembling the crippling astronomical debt that future generations may not to be able to pay without serious sacrifice if at all!!!

Natasha you are one off the wall young lady. The school Obama went to was a christian school dear, did you miss that bit or are you stupid? Posted by Marilyn.

Reply to Marilyn:

Obvisously you missed his biography "Obama Revealed" on CNN! (liberal clowns). In it they had the school that he went in Indonesia - they even talked to people there - actual photos etc. The school was a Muslim School!

Please read the comment policy of this blog and stop your personal attacks! It just shows the level of your education and character. Got it, BABY?!

the whole world was against bush, but you embraced him and put him back to office,you have seen the results, the same thing is happening this year the whole world is against mc cain you are still embracing him, keep going america its your downfall, sometimes we even felt ashamed to say US is a christian nation.

The same thing will happen to all media sexist clowns - rather the sexist media pigs!! We are petitioning thir top advertisers - many of them advertising women's products - cosmetics, etc. In fact, I think that CNN has even changed their tune a bit. Perhaps the demotion of that Moron Keith Olbermann and Chris Mathews at MSNBC got CNN thinking! Tres bien, merci!!

Us Magazine Hit Hard by Canceling Subscribers After Palin Attack

By Warner Todd Huston
September 5, 2008 - 06:19 ET

Courtney Hazlett over at MSNBC's "The Scoop" is reporting that thousands of "Us Weekly" subscribers have not only called the magazine to cancel their subscriptions -- some reports say up to 10,000 cancellations have occurred -- but have also contacted advertisers and expressed their outrage that they are advertising with the celebrity news magazine that would so blatantly try to destroy Governor Palin.

Hazlett is hearing that the editorial board of "Us Weekly" had thought they pegged it right that media pressure and attacks would see Palin pulled from the McCain ticket even before her debut speech. Because the media had so quickly swarmed to destroy her, they thought she was toast before she even had the chance to accept the nomination.

Obama spent 20 years in a church and didn't know the political views of his pastor and mentor Rev. Wright. How about the time Obama spent in Pakistan? Does that mean he's knowledgeable on jihadists or just the drug trade? How about his close ties with all his communist friends...talk about dishonesty...

I am voter that happens to like all four candidates involved. I find it entertaining that people are acting surprised that there are questionable things in Palin's record. She is a politician. Biden, Obama and McCain all have more inconsistencies and questionable acts than her. And I still like them. Palin is a great addition to the race.

I am voter that happens to like all four candidates involved. I find it entertaining that people are acting surprised that there are questionable things in Palin's record. She is a politician. Biden, Obama and McCain all have more inconsistencies and questionable acts than her. And I still like them. Palin is a great addition to the race.

"Drill baby drill"....FOOLS....how about investing the same money into Tidal turbines, windmills, and other forms of REPLENISHABLE resources, instead of spending billions/trillions more on a finite amount amount of oil...
And with that statement I would like to say that perhaps I am as qualified to be vice president as Sarah Palin, as it is something a true maverick might say..
P.S.- and I also lived in Europe for 7 months and easily grasped their politics, unlike the previous post

The left-wing-liberal clowns of CNN - from Campbell Brown to even Larry King - were talking about "Lipstick and Pigs" on the eve of the anniversary of the September 11th attacks.

Shame on you CNN that you could not have at least honored this day by having perhaps a special Larry King program honoring the innocent people who died on that day. Instead, Larry King decided to address the issue "Lipstick and Pigs". Yeah, I say that in this case the pigs were he and his two liberal witches on his panel.

Shame on you all at CNN, for being a disgrace to serious journalism - for being a disgrace in the eyes of the relatives of the people who died on 9/11, and in the eyes of our troops. You are running so freaking scared that you would not even talk about Sept. 11th...And, on top of that I heard that you had the idiot Michael Moore on the Larry King show, on the anniversary of 9/11. But that's OK - we did not expect you to be more patriotic than your leader - Obama bin Biden!

Shame on all "24 hour News-for-Dummies networks" and their leadership, especially Jon Clown - as in Jon Klein - the President of CNN.

Palin readily flaunts her knowledge of energy issues and Alaska's role in providing a small percentage of America's oil, but look at today's headline in Alaska's largest paper: a six month long energy crisis is culminating in the abandonment of Adak, the Westernmost town in the United States. What has Palin done about this issue? I live in Alaska, and as far as I can see she has done nothing, and the people of Adak are now suffering. They are losing their homes and livelihoods because they no longer have power, and Palin's administration has done nothing in the past two years to avert this crisis.

Quote: "What an obvious bias from Brown. She is obviously an Obama supporter who doesn't need to leave her bias home but is allowed to display it in full view. What a media disgrace. There is no more professionalism left in the tv news field. Just take off the gloves and go for the juggler. No respect for other people. Hey, Brown - fortunately in this country we can still flick the remote and change channels. I wonder how long before we won't be able to do that. If Brown had her way, there wouldn't be anyone else left. Until then, it's goodbye girl! There are better, analytical and thought provoking news stations covering the elections that do it with style! CNN - I'd get rid of her before loosing more viewers. She is AWFUL! BTW...I'm an undecided voter. I look forward to hearing both viewpoints without the harassment. I'm glad McCain turned you down. I'll watch what he has to say on another station!"

I am shocked that people cannot see this for what it really is. Picking Palin had nothing to do with who was best qualified to be VP. I live in a town of about 40,000 and when I think about the mayor, I in no way think that he is in anyway qualified to be VP of the most powerful nation in the world. To think that a mayor of less that 9,000 is ready is ludicrist. If something happened to McCain, Palin would be next in line. Now McCain says that its Obamas fault that McCain is running such a dirty campaine... wake up America McCain is a pupet and will say anything to get elected... it was proBush till he seen it was hurting him... now he's for change, look at his past 8 or 10 years in office and see how much change he was really for.

It is apparent that McCain has chosen this unknown Sarah Palin to take the focus and scrutiny off him...........a wise decision.
If the media would just concentrate on the top of the ticket, both the GOP and the Dems, they would find serious "holes" in the story John McCain is attempting to portray.
Why aren't they insisting on his "180" for complete military record disclosure? John Kerry willingly had his military record made public...........he had nothing to hide.
On the contrary, Mr. McNapoleonic complex has more than enough skeletons in his closest to scare the dead, and a host of character flaws and temperament issues to immediately disqualify him for any position requiring "diplomacy."

THE EXERTION OF ALL OF OUR ENERGIES SHOULD BE DIRECTED AT THE NEWS MEDIA TO LAY BARE THE TRUE FACTS IN THIS ELECTION................WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT Sarah Palin anyway............she's just the Karl Rove distraction and most of you have taken the bate............

Quote: "Hey Cambell Brown baby!!...I think the media should let Palin speak for herself. Obviously, after last nights exercise in the proverbial "slam-dunk" she is quite capable of delivering a defense. The pressure put on the Republican Tucker by the media was uncalled for. Tucker, as well as the rest of the Republican party, cannot be held accountable at a time when the entire nation let alone Republican representatives were in a stage of discovery in regards to the VP nominational pick by Senator John McCain. Let me tell you something CNN.. And the National Enquirer too.. If you think that your biased pro Democratic political views will even be considered on election day..keep digging your graves. Every action by the media as to unfair,unequal opinion by commentators(or so called Journalists) that have a personal agenda, and readily participate in invasive private and personal probing,will only take away from the Democratic Partys American Patriotism and sense of fair play. God Bless America.. God Bless John McCain,, Sarah and Trig too... and god bless Barack Obama. After the beating last night he could use a little help."

Yeah like the Obama campaign has never peddled stories that are not true but you MEDIA people never call him on it do you ???? No... He skates by everything because of you people. He made up stories about his parents meeting and him being conceived etc but he was OFF by a few years etc etc .... Stop bashing Palin and look at the 2 front runners more .. Look at how Obama keeps acumulating millions and millions and where EXACTLY is all that money coming from.. From the calculations so far he must be at the one trillion mark.!! Is this what it takes to become President in America ? You have to have a trillion to buy the Presidency ???

The media is owned by a bunch of rich Republicans who are about one thing -- lining their pockets. And there're willing to sell the country down the river because they want McCain/Palin to win because they think that it'll be better for themselves.

And yet all retrospective studies show that when a Democrat is the White House, the country does better -- on all parameters, including the stock market.

All we have to look at what's happening to the housing market, the financial institutions that are dive-bombing, our economy that's tanking, our unemployment that's increasing along with cost of living while our wages are sinking, an inane war that's bankrupting our country -- and you want more?

Does America really think that McCain/Palin is going to get us out of this precipice? What the Republicans don't get is that they have no idea of how low we can go. And they really have no idea who Palin is -- other than she's a liar but this liar is willing to go after her own party.

Americans -- regardless of party -- should be angry at McCain -- for making light of this presidential campaign -- for gambling our children's future and the future of all future generations on this kind of baffoonery. He's no patriot. he's no Christian -- and he's no president.

It is remarkable that the Republicans are now engaging in the "identity politics" that they have long accused Democrats of using. Gov. Pallin should be used to questioning by the media, as she has been elected three times to different levels of government. The notion that she is somehow being mistreated by a media that is asking her the same (or similar) questions asked of other candidates seems to the height of "sexism" (i.e. is she so without an intelligent opinion that she must be protected for her own sake from a media that will be too "intellectual" for her?). If the Republicans feel she is a great candidate, let her speak for herself in interviews rather than sheltering her from the media interviews and scrutiny. If she has good ideas, bad ideas, or no idea, people should be able to know. The fact that 300 million Americans can not have their questions individually answered means that their proxy voice, the media, must be allowed to do its job.

The unfortunate problem facing the Republicans is that their policy ideas are only now bearing fruit (e.g.Lehman, Bear Stearns, FM & FM, Merrill Lynch, etc.). Thus, there is no other option in political/electoral terms other than to engage in "identity politics" and "popularity contests" that can still be found in Kindergarten to 12th Grade.

Maybe for some, it is in the arcane details and errors of haste. For me and many others it is about hope. We know that the mud and incredible promises are the usual. Senator Obama initally seemed to me the best choice. I voted in the primary for him. Now he has retreated and chosen more of the same for a VP. Senator McCain while claiming to want change was hard to believe. Now he will get my vote. He may not be able to budge the government to a better direction, but I believe he will try the hardest.

On earmarks, I do not fault a mayor or governor for asking. You have to work within the repugnant system until you have the power to change it.

why dont they ask palin the questions that america really wants to know?

1- if mccain wins then something happened to him and it leaves us with palin as a president: a problem with the country arises and it requires her full attention and at the same time a problem arises with one of the children (especially with trig) which would she attend to 1st country or child?

2- why does she or anyone think she is capable of running this country because she was in the pta, and a sports mom, then a govenor. i know plenty of people with this capablity but that doesnt qualify them to run this country (or maybe it does seeing the last 8 years).

3- do you think mccain would have picked her if hillary would have been on the ticket or was this a ploy to try to win over the hillary voters (which is a slap in the face to those who supported hillary as there far to many differences between the both)?

4- for all the people that are above 40 years old that have lost there jobs (due to the companies going overseas) raising a family and are competing with young college graduates for the few jobs that are out there how are you going to create jobs for them or provide training for them to even qualify them for jobs when they can not even afford to pay the electric, gas bills or even buy groceries?

i could continue but i know that these will not be answered or even addressed.

You reporters are wasting time and the air that we breath. Useless...Useless...Tell me why this woman (Palin) has over 80% approval rating in her state? Are the Alaskans bunch of morons? or you must be a moron. If she's this bad like you said, then how come her approval is so high? Let me tell you why Obama is going to loose this race. The majority of white americans are not ready for a black president. Period. No one said a word, but racism still runs deep in their blood, black or white. The minute 94% of the black Democrats, who blindly voting for race instead of issue and experiance, handed Obama the nomination they just gave up the presidency to the Republican. Hillary was the clear choice with the expirience. But blacks folks can't let go of the past and racism is still their biggest issue. Now it's clear...you've got it? It's about black and white in this race.

This woman is laughable as are the talking heads who are trying to prop her up. Watch John Fund squirm as he's called a cynic for supporting her. Bill Kristol, who failed to teach Dan Quayle how to look smart, loves her. They know she's a kook, but they love Bush's America so much that they can't admit it. We are better than this. I believe that the MSM will be forced to cover her. Wait until they corner her on creationism. LOL

You Wingnut people out there screaming about the "smearing" of Palin are the very ones who trashed Hillary Clinton for MONTHS until she was gone! She was not only trashed, but Bill and Hillary Clinton were also trashed. You all brought up the Lewisnsky affair, every detail, over and over again! You accused Chelsea of "pimping" for her Mom! Compare Chelsea to Bristol Palin!!

So, when Palin trotted out her entire brood at the convention, and introduced them to us, there stood her five kids, one off to Iraq right out of high school, one five months pregnant, a high school dropout and still not married, one five months old with Downs' Syndrome, one girl 14 and one 5, whose lives in Alaska are without their parents since Todd Palin is traveling with Sarah these days. Oh.... the unborn child's father was also there, evidently flown in by executive Alaska jet! They are a beautiful family, they have family problems like the rest of us. But, this does not make Palin SPECIAL OR QUALIFIED to become president should old man McCain die in office!

After what Hillary Clinton went through, Sarah Palin is getting a free ride!!!! She is the laughing stock of the world however! Her lies will eventually destroy her.

I suppose the refueling stop in Ireland makes her an expert in the impact of fuel costs on the Airline sector.

Palin was picked because she has a functioning womb and she's willing to exploit her down's child for photo ops to prove it.

Few people will vote for Palin, or Joe What's_his_name for that matter. The electorate is going to pick either Obama or McCain. The only reason to bring up Palin is to question John McCain's integrity. Any respect I had for John McCain as a "straight talker" is long gone. This is just another example. If he's willing to lie so easily about Palin let alone Obama why should I believe anything he tells me.

What saddens and dismays me is this increasing certitude that the American Voter really wants a leader like Sarah Palin in the White House; that when all is said and done, we have so embraced a nationalistic theology that we will do anything and say anything to maintain it. That when all is said and done, this country has turned into a xenophobic bully that straddles the globe and threatens anyone or any other country that dares to oppose us. That when all is said and done, the motto "We're No. 1" is more important than "the endowment of certain unalienable rights".

Loved Pierce's depiction of vice presidency as third nipple! Couldn't help but note that we pigs have this feature, with or without lipstick..the pigs, not the nipples. The lipstick, I mean. Oh heck, communicating with humans is tough.

If the McCain campaign wants to compare Palin to Obama (mayor of Wasilla vs. community organizer), then it is only fair to ask what she would be like as president, especially given McCain's age and medical history. Do you really want the Caribou Queen as president? She would be like Bush, just another tool of the neocons. Note how many of Bush's handlers (Scully, Schmidt, Rove, et al.) have already moved over to the McCain/Palin campaign.

"Although we respectfully prefer the Obama/Biden ticket, we applaud Mrs. Palin for her Liberal views about caring for her pregnant daughter. Instead of stoning her to death, we too would embrace her and help her through this difficult time. Mrs. Palin, don't be ashamed of your Liberal views, after all, Jesus saved the life of an adulterer. You know he would have done the same for your daughter even though she isn't married and technically hasn't committed adultery. Even though having sex before marriage is a sin, we Liberals agree that your daughter should be loved and that God will be the judge.

Mr. McCain, we Liberals applaud the fact that Communist Vietnam and former Soviet Republic, Georgia, support your presidency. Though most of us think that Communism has failed, we understand that you learned many things in the Hanoi Hilton and must have made many friends there also. On that same note, it is very encouraging that the Republicans are using the Communist color. That shows respect for an ideal, though fatally flawed, system, a real Liberal view of the world, and we heartily applaud that."

Right on Gypsy. There is something about Palin that reminds me of the female college student who sits immodestly in the front row of class in a short skirt, then reports the male instructor to the Dean if his gaze wanders to Ground X. She uses her family as a campaign backdrop---then complains (by proxy of course) when the media talk about her children. She announces her daughter's pregnancy---then gets all offended when people focus on it. She talks about her breasts (breast pump vs Blackberry, breast milk, nursing baby in meetings---got it everybody? she has breasts) and her lipstick and her go-go boots---then goes into a Victorian faint when she's observed to be a woman. The scenario is that she blends Motherhood with sexiness, uses both to lure people in, then, WHAM, she kills them. Under the Mrs America costume there is a dominatrix with whip and spikey boots.

Lincoln, Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Goldwater, et al, must be spinning in their graves. They'd see their party reduced to running no-nothing cheerleaders like W and Palin, people who are willing to shill for energy companies and every corporation that wants to move jobs overseas or impoverish American working people. And they's see their party resorting to any lie or distraction to win the presidency. The real kicker is that McCain, who was the victim of this kind of campaign in 2000, has now submitted to it in order to win. What his captors couldn't do--break his spirit--the Republican establishment has accomplished. I am sorry for him.

This is written by a MORON who is pretending to be me - he/she is using my blog name.

THE LEFT WING LIBERALS WERE, ARE, AND WILL ALWAYS BE IDIOTS!

That is why they are winning so many elections...ahaha...ha!

Keep it up... your "sleezy tactics" are working for McCain-Palin - unless you have not seen the latest polls! We love the left-wing-liberals doing their Obama
style "tirades"! The more they attack the better the polls for the Republican ticket!

Go McCain-Palin (the naive do not realize that this is exactly what McCain had in mind - the more the media and the "Obama youth" are vetting Palin - the more Obama has vanished from our television sets!!

Palin is so off the wall that I sometimes wonder if she is just being used as a tool to get all those Wingnuts to vote for McCain, a man many of them despise! They LOVE Palin because of her "family values".

I wonder if the McCain campaign figures that even if Palin has lied and has scandals that have yet to be uncovered facing her, and is naive and lacks experience and intellect.... she can HELP McCain WIN! Then, she can resign if the heat gets too hot!

Next??? Joseph Liebermam as vp, the man McCain really wanted but who was distrusted by the Wingnuts. McCain would have the last laugh!

As sad and irresponsible as this choice is, we need to put issues back on the front burner. The contrasts between Obama and McCain are so vast and shall effect the direction this country continues in (McCain) or a serious change in direction (Obama)... in so many ways. It is for you, the voter, to decide your priorities and your own responsibilities... for times now and also far into the future.

I am bothered by this presidential election in the aspect that it is officially all about gimmicks. Both parties are parading out candidates who can claim a place in "history." Despite any arguments about her intelligence of experience, Palin became McCain's running mate because she is a woman. He wants to win over bitter Hillarites and divide the democrats. Its a blatant move-albeit a totally expected one.

I am also bothered by how much this is working. The ticket is not about McCain for president anymore, its all about Palin for vice president. No one seems to care about the actual candidate anymore in favor of his running mate. It seems that the GOP is already licking their lips at the prospect of running Palin in the next election for sure.

I will honestly say, if the democrats can't win in this current political environment, then before they find their next candidate, they need to do some serious soul searching. The party needs to be rebuilt from the ground up.

I personally, am sick of this reporting that has nothing to do with anything. It reminds me of name calling and accusations in grade school. Sarah Palin has many accomplishments that qualify her to run as Vice President. Hillary's resume was not "clean" and I am sorry, but a wife of a man who sleeps around and she defends him....is the worst candidate to represent me. Her Rose Law firm antics and her list of lies...sorry...she shouldn't even be a senator but oh yeah....the libs just see all that as minor infractions.

Since Hillary Clinton was running FOR President I would guess that Palin would and should not get the same scrutiny. But what about Biden???? Since the media know all about him,of course, they think that every American does . Not the case. I want to know more of his views,also. Calling the media to do their jobs (echo,echo,echo)

The last sentence of the article is the crucial one. McCain doesn't have a clue about Mrs. Palin. He was forced to accept her at the last minute without really knowing what she stands for. Even Mrs. McCain admits she doesn't agree with all her statements even though she claims to support her.

Now poor old McCain is stuck with her for the rest of his campaign, maybe even for the rest of his life.

Let's see if we can keep tabs on Sarah so far:
- She's under investigation for abuse of power and official corruption.
- She was twice warned by a judge not to "disparage" her brother in law.
- Her teenage daughter is pregnant.
- Her husband belonged to a secessionist movement.
- She was FOR the "bridge to nowhere" but campaigns that she was against it.
- She hired a lobbyist connected to criminal Jack Abramhoff
- She continues to claim that she sold the governors jet on ebay for a profit though both have been PROVEN FALSE.
- She continues to claim that she fired the governors chef, though it's been PROVEN FALSE and the she merely reassigned the woman and kept her on the payroll.
- She continues to claim that she was against "earmarks" though she hired a lobbyist to WIN EARMARKS.
- She did NOT visit Ireland as the campaign first claimed.
- She did NOT go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed.

Why does all this matter? Because these claims are being made to bolster her lacking experience when asked whether or not she's qualified to be vice president. Clearly SHE IS NOT.

i personally dont care if palin has a child with down syndrome or if her daughter is an unmarried pregant child! i dont care if mccain was a prisoner in the war or if he knows how many houses he has! i dont care if obama is black or that biden raised his children by himself while riding the train back and forth to the senate! what i care about is what are they really going to do for the people who have lost there jobs and cant afford to pay bills and cant find a job and cant afford new skills to get a job? america is not going to survive on the way the economy is going with banks failing morgage companies going under. we are fighting overseas in a war that we should not be in and with bush still in office we could go to war again with russia and more companies going under or moving overseas how are our families going to support themselves how is our government or these candidates going to deal with these issues????????????????????????????????????? lets get down to the basics on how american families are going to survive????

Since Mr. Palin is her most trusted advisor and seems to be instrumental in her decision making process, I hope there will be intensive scrutiny of his views. Will he be a co-vice-president or is he the power behind the skirt? Will he be an unpaid advisor or will he be a paid member of her staff...Will he be able to get a high enough security clearance due to his seccessionist leanings?

The issue that the American people were overlooking is that the Democrats and the Republicans were on the same field. The Republicans are decieving not only the American but themselves. This is because Obama says that he does not want to talk about abortion let it be between one who wants about abortion and her god while the Republicans said that this is totally wrong yet they brought someone whose daughter is carring another person`s child out of wedlock without any sign that they teens were going to marry one another. Please in the sight of God these two parties are the same. Let us stop playing God when it comes to politics. Even if Obama did not win this election yet in the sight of God the democrats have shown that they can defend the poor which God hold high esteem. God save Americans that they may know that the world is watching what is going on in that country. If the Republicans thought that they can lie to the Americans they cannot lie to the world because we have our Bibles and know what God wants.

Fact: Palin did enter Iraq at a border crossing. Her campaign never claimed she went to Baghdad.

Fact: As governor she did kill the bridge to nowhere. Congress only removed the earmark for the bridge but did provide the funding to Alaska. Palin could have used the funds to build the bridge but instead applied it to the general transporatation fund. Palin never claimed she was always opposed to the bridge while running for governor. She is on the record in saying she wouldnt stand in the way of a infrastructure improvement.

WAAAHHHHH! The "liberal media" is "picking" on poor Sarah Palin...Maybe next time the republicans will vet their picks before showing them off! How many years did a special prosecutor, Ken Starr, spend millions of our tax dollars investigating the Clintons? Every aspect of their lives was thoroughly inspected and the worst thing that could be found was Bill tried to hide his sexual exploits. With about 60 days left until the election, an unknown was thrust upon the american people.To NOT investigate her completely would be a travesty.You should know the past of those who are running on their record. In this situation Whats good for the gander is good for the goose!

Over the past 2 years, Obama has faced numerous media stories, interviews, grilling debates, investigations from the US to Kenya, plus scrutiny of two autobiographies in which he openly revealed both positive and negative details. He's been vetted through the primary, and now in the general, yet people "still don't know him."

On the other hand, Palin comes out of nowhere and, in just 2 weeks, is deemed trustworthy, qualified, patriotic, and vetted.

People should examine their hearts and ask if there is some underlying prejudice there.

Quote: "What saddens and dismays me is this increasing certitude that the American Voter really wants a leader like Sarah Palin in the White House; that when all is said and done, we have so embraced a nationalistic theology that we will do anything and say anything to maintain it. That when all is said and done, this country has turned into a xenophobic bully that straddles the globe and threatens anyone or any other country that dares to oppose us. That when all is said and done, the motto "We're No. 1" is more important than "the endowment of certain unalienable rights".

Posted by: Tess | September 15, 2008 7:30 AM

Wrong, my dear. This country has to return to the moral values of Presidents like Truman. Unless you all think that Russia is no longer a threat to us. The far left wingers in America are "sleeping beauties" when it comes to geopolitical issues - let alone being able to comment on Palin's foreign experience!

More than half of Americans can not even find Georgia on the map - yet they are claim to be informed to judge Palin's experience based on how many trips she has made abroad! But nobody so far has asked or commented here about how many trips Obama - let us not forget he is running for President - had made abroad prior to his running for President? Oh I see...but he speaks well!

Of course, what do you expect from people who according to CNN - they were calling complaining why it was covering the Russian-Georgian conflict, "what does Georgia have to do with us!" (CNN had to mention over and over again why this "far away land" was vital to America's interest's! But how can you possibly understand it if you are ignorant when it comes to World History and Geography?

To them - uneducated left wing liberals - Russia is nothing to worry about. But the left wing liberals do not even know that America is in NATO - and yes as a NATO member we have the obligation to defend any country member under attack (Chapter 5) - including Georgia when it gains full membership in NATO (99% it will happen in the upcoming NATO meeting in December 2008.

Well, what is America going to say to NATO if Russia attacks Georgia or the Ukraine, or Poland? Sorry, we are tired of wars because the leftists say so? Then we may very well come out of NATO! (BTW, IT WILL NEVER HAPPEN!).

Tell me, Palin is for so much and against so much and I have nerver herard anything that she has do for African Americans. Does she have any African Americam friend and does she have any in her office.

No one is saying that the media have to go "soft" on Palin, we are just saying keep to the facts. Please dig out information, and report truthfully. So far 90% of the so called news that i've seen about Palin has easily been explained away or debunked. It doesnt help when she does an interview and the interviewer treats her with obvious disdain then edits the interview to make it seem to say what they want it to say. I watched the un-aired parts of the "interview" and saw that she is NOT unprepared or shaky on any of the foriegn policy questions she was asked. I just hope that people look further into the news stories that they hear in sound bytes or in the Nat. Inq. and find the truth before believing what the MSM tries to run past them as truth.

Where is the MSM? Why are they NOT asking the hard question? This woman is ill prepared to take over the presidency of the US and if we allow this mockery to continue we all deserve what we get. Yet another person who will lead by the gut and direction from God.

How the GOP can support this is beyond comprehension - it only proves that these people are without a single thought of their own except to win - I THOUGHT THIS WAS FOR THE GOOD OF AMERICA not the party!

GOP = PARTY FIRST - AMERICA SECOND (hopefully, although it could be big oil and corporation second, America third?)

All I ask is that BAMa and BIDen be subjected to the same microscope that Sarah is under. When the press does that they may earn back a micron of respect. As it is now, all the leftist press in this country does is report what they want to, lie, misrepresent facts, fail to report the truth, especially regarding Iraq because good news on the war front is bad news to the communists running the media and generally do all they can to get their demoncrat candidates elected. You have no credibility anymore as it stands.

The question isn't whether Palin will get the same scrutiny as Hillary, but whether Biden will get the same scrutiny as Palin. Sure when he was selected, we heard about the plagiarism scandal again, but how much else have we heard about his actions (including many questionable statements over the years)? Let's see if Biden holds up if the press starts talking to every person who held a grudge against him from the fourth grade on.

During the Democratic Primary, Obama and Hillary were constantly challenged by the media, voters and each other about their records and their views. McCain and Palin now refuse to talk to the media. For Palin, she won't even answer voter questions. Is this what you want for your White House? More secrecy?? Don't expect transparency in the future from people who won't be forthright with you now.

"Daniel Samuel Senor (born November 6, 1971), is a founding partner of Rosemont Capital LLC, and Rosemont Solebury Capital Management. He is also a contributor to Fox News, frequent contributor to The Wall Street Journal, and author of an upcoming book about the economy of Israel and globalization in the Middle East. He is most noted for his former position as chief spokesperson for the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq; some criticized him in that role because of his inability to speak Arabic [1] [2]. He is married to television news personality Campbell Brown."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Senor

Hmmmmm!...Perhaps this is why Madame Campbell Brown is sooooo obsessed with....Sarah Palin's private and public life...

According to a November 9 Broadcasting & Cable article, former NBC News anchor Campbell Brown will "make her debut" on CNN as a "panelist" during the November 15 Democratic presidential debate in Las Vegas, moderated by CNN host Wolf Blitzer. Brown, who was hired by CNN in July, is married to Dan Senor, a former adviser for the now-defunct Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq who is now reportedly serving as an adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. Given Brown's role in the upcoming Democratic debate, will CNN disclose her husband's link to Romney's campaign?"

It is crucial that she DOES get the same scrutinity. I and many people can't believe what is going on with so much evidence of foul play and so little reaction against it and the polls even going up for the foul players! I hope the US media will wake up to their task! This article here is a quite good beginning. But compared to the clear analyzes that come from abroad, all american articles fail a bit.. A good article I read today for example was: BEWARE, AMERICA!PALIN SOUNDS A LOT LIKE BUSH . It can be found under www.deccan.com under columnists. (Indian Deccan Chronicle, Andhra Pradesh)

Will Obama get any scrutiny? That is the question to be asked. Hillary asked it when she ran against him too.

Give me a break, Palin has been attacked from day one. The media has a tremendous pro-Obama bias. Recent poles have Americans saying the press is reporting in favor of Obama by a five to one margin. Poles measure the publics perception. If the public has that perception the media must have a fairly obvious bias.

As fun as this is, I can't wait for the debates! The Post obviously wants to get as much disinformation out about Gov. Palin as possible so they can get Obama elected. Of course they're also the paper waiting for this "internet thing" to die down so they can recoup their subscribers and tell more half truths that can't be rebuked by a 12 year old with access to Google. The Washington Post; they just don't get it!

One of the statements that Governor Palin made was that she 'didn't blink'. How can somebody who is a heartbeat away from the presidency not blink when faced with decisions that can affect the lives of all americans and perhaps the world? Leaders need to 'blink' before sending our troops to war, choosing supreme court justices, using veto power. Did McCain blink when he chose her? or is this the policy of the next 4 years? DONT'T BLINK!!!!

I can only pray that you are right about Palin getting scrutiny. I have seen some evidence of this from the NY Times and WAPO. I don't know if the word is getting out broadly across the nation though. People in Florida, Texas, Colorado, New Mexico need to understand what a reckless decision it was for an old man with a history of cancer to select Palin as his VP candidate. This creates two problems. First, McCain has poor judgement and second he is not putting the country first. This women scares the bejeebers out of me. If McCain is elected he better watch his back.

I have grave concerns about our corporate-owned media and their ability to honestly investigate and report the truth about any of the candidates, but especially about Ms. Palin. She is an unknown, and the stakes are much to high (the economy, global relations, energy) this year to allow an unknown to be one heartbeat way from being president. To the media...do your job!!!

I don't think Palin, in the end, will make much of a difference to the outcome of this race.

In '88, Bush 41 picked the male equivalent of Sarah Palin in Dan Quayle: an unknown, photogenic, right wing politician with little national and no international experience. We all know the outcome: Lee Atwater's strategy and "independent" groups created the narrative about Dukakis and Dukakis' lackluster, emotionless campaigning led to a landslide for Bush 41.
We remember Dukakis' response, "No, Bernard, I wouldn't..." as the air going out of the balloon. His VP pick, Lloyd Bentsen, had the most memorable line of the campaign and how many of us wished he'd been at the top of the ticket rather than Dukakis.
Quayle rallied the base, much as Palin has, but we saw in '92 that even with Quayle on the ticket, Bush couldn't hold the base once he chose to go back on a promise in favor of real world circumstances.

In the end, it will be McCain v. Obama. John McCain has lost his so-called honor and integrity with his sleazy, petty ads. The main stream media needs to stand up to McCain's dishonesty, and in doing so perhaps redeem itself from its own dishonesty re: Gore and Kerry. And Obama needs to hit McCain hard on the sleaze factor, as he has begun to do in recent days.

All this focus on foreign policy experience when the biggest threat to our national security is that our financial infrastructure is collapsing around us?

You know, the terrorists are winning here. bin Laden got us to dump billions dollars that we don't have into a war that's not against him and to put ourselves in debt to the Chinese for generations to come.

When politicians in Washington don't understand Wall Street, it's unlikely that a two-year governor of Alaska does either. Sure, she'll have advisors but if advisors are going to be running things, then voters have a right and a need to know now who those advisors are going to be. I want to vote for the people who will be actually running the country, not the figurehead leader.

So,once again Obama Shill EJ Dionne is just
retyping his copy of Obama Smear Master David Axelrod, New Smear Of The Day Against
GOP Vice Presidential Nominee and AK Gov
Sarah Palin,for WAPO The Official Mouth Piece of Obama La La Land BS Rag. So damn
Disgusting here EJ so why don't you quit
your day job at WAPO and go to work for
your boyfriend/hero and Messiah Empty Suit
Smear Artist Muslim Mullah His Arrogance
Barack Hussein Obama,since EJ Dionne frankly your becoming the Keith Olberman and Chris Matthews of the Printed Media.
As all you seem to know is Smear Palin.

just for the record and the sake of the country i am from alska and i support mccain and sarah(yes i too call her sarah) for one fact alone theya re for change and plus not only that there are a bunch of sounthern white boys in the bible belt that would rather be damned to hell than listen to a black man in charge yes racism is still alive and kickin in that USA as far as issues go i am sure WW3 is around the corner but for now we jsut ahve to keep the peace and what better way than a man that served our country and a pistol packin hottie like my gov sarah anyway jsut giving you guys something to think about

Perhaps you may want to listen to what they have to say - whom they are going to vote for!!! Sorry to ruin your day! And, God only knows how many are out there - keeping quiet about their vote!!

I think the liberals are in for a big surprise! The biggest one may come from MA and/or NY!!

Hillary Clinton Forum
www.HillaryClintonForum.net

******************

I am so sorry that you had to give up your values just because your Gal lost. I would have supported either person for President. This reaction and the reaction posted on the mentioned website are childish. Please regain your integrity. ...That is if you truly are a Hillary supporter.

Perhaps you may want to listen to what they have to say - whom they are going to vote for!!! Sorry to ruin your day! And, God only knows how many are out there - keeping quiet about their vote!!

I think the liberals are in for a big surprise! The biggest one may come from MA and/or NY!!

Hillary Clinton Forum
www.HillaryClintonForum.net

******************

I am so sorry that you had to give up your values just because your Gal lost. I would have supported either person for President. This reaction and the reaction posted on the mentioned website are childish. Please regain your integrity. ...That is if you truly are a Hillary supporter.

Not only is the Empress not wearing any clothes. She is also a free-range Alaskan wild boar with a beehive hairdo, designer glasses, and Miss Piggy lipstick on! As V-P she'll roam the skies of Washington at will, firing off belts of ammo at Senators who dare to cross her, while on the ground she'll fire government officials who refuse to do the will of Old King Cole McCain.

Quote: "One of the statements that Governor Palin made was that she 'didn't blink'. How can somebody who is a heartbeat away from the presidency not blink when faced with decisions that can affect the lives of all americans and perhaps the world? Leaders need to 'blink' before sending our troops to war, choosing supreme court justices, using veto power. Did McCain blink when he chose her? or is this the policy of the next 4 years? DONT'T BLINK!!!!"

Posted by: Ms Melado | September 15, 2008 8:45 AM

Reply to Ms Melado:

We most certain want Presidents or Vice Presidents who do NOT - for example - take 3 different statements to get their response to the Russia-Georgia conflict straight!

But of course, very few Americans realized that Putin invaded Georgia "in a blink of the eye"! Of course we want a President who does not keep "blinking" (ie. Obama) until they he gets his response right (trying to figure out how the media will like it)!!!

Wake up America - do not vote for Obama Bin Biden!

If Obama bin Biden answers that "3:00 AM call to the White House" he would forward it to...the United Nations!!!!

Is this what you want America?

Do not vote left-wing-liberal Obama bin Biden to be our next Commander in Chief. It took 3 statements by him (after discussing it it with his 300+ foreign policy advisors) Jiuliani quote) to kind of condemn (he still did not even come close to it) Russia for invading a democratic and sovereign country....And, this while Senator McCain, Senator Clinton, our government, and ALL our allies - blasted Russia's invasion of Georgia! Even China turned its back to Russia on the Georgia issue despite the fact that the Russian leaders - Medvedev (Putin's hand picked puppet) and Putin himself were courting China's support on the Georgia conflict!! Ha-ha!

If anything, Gibson was too easy on Palin. Oh how we need another Tim Russert! I believe he would have been as tough on Palin as he was on Hillary.

The McCain/Palin campaign knows that the sexism accusations are essentially baseless, but they figure that if they can dupe just a few Hillary supporters to join their side, it will be enough to tip the scales in their favor.

LONDON - BRITISH PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN voiced support for UNITED STATES DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA, saying he would help Americans struggling with an economic downturn.

In a move seen by some British media as a break with a political convention requiring foreign leaders to remain neutral ahead of US elections, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BROWN praised MR. OBAMA as a fellow “progressive politician” who would help ordinary Americans in tough times. With eight weeks to go before the presidential election, MR. OBAMA and his Republican rival John McCain are neck-and-neck in domestic opinion polls.

BRITISH PRIME MINISTER BROWN described the race for the White House as “electrifying” and said: “It is the DEMOCRATS who are generating the ideas to help people through more difficult times.”

“To help prevent people from losing their home, BARACK OBAMA has proposed a Foreclosure Prevention Fund to increase emergency pre-foreclosure counselling, and help families facing repossession,” he wrote in an article in The Monitor magazine, a monthly political publication.

2008 UNITED STATES DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL RACE

DEMOCRAT HARVARD LAW VS. GOP REPUBLICAN D STUDENTS

OBAMA OF HARVARD LAW AND PRESIDENT OF HARVARD LAW REVIEW
BIDEN OF SYRACUSE LAW

MCCAIN OF NAVY ACADEMY LAST PLACE D STUDENT
PALIN OF MOOSE COLLEGE

GOP Republican Wall Street SRO (Self Regulatory Organization) Robber Baron Supercapitalism Is Down And Will No Longer Rob the U.S. Treasury and American People

THEY ARE ALL GOP REPUBLICAN OOOOOIIIIILLLLL MILLIONAIRES AND OIL STOCKHOLDERS

GOP REPUBLICAN OOOOOIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLL IS THE NEW CRACK
GOP REPUBLICAN OOOOOIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLL IS THE NEW CRACK
GOP REPUBLICAN OOOOOIIIIIIIIILLLLLLLLLLL IS THE NEW CRACK

CAN YOU SAY GOP REPUBLICAN CONSPIRACY TO DEFRAUD THE AMERICAN PUBLIC, ROB OUR U.S. TREASURY, AND SPECULATE FOR OBSCENELY HIGH PROFIT RETURNS ON WALL STREET OIL STOCKS

WAKE UP AMERICA, BECAUCE THE WORLD ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT THE CRIMINAL GOP REPUBLICAN PARTY OF CONSPIRATORS

NATIONALIZE U.S. OIL FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE AS A VITAL RESOURCE

AMERICA AND AMERICANS FIRST

NO MORE GOP REPUBLICAN WALL STREET OOOOOIIIIILLLLL SPECULATION AND FRAUD AGAINST THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

IF YOU SAY THAT YOU LOVE AMERICA, THEN PROVE IT AND STOP THE GOP REPUBLICAN RAIDERS UPON OUR U.S. TREASURY AND OUTSOURCING OF U.S. JOBS

Will the GOP Republican get rich by selling America party take credit for any of their disasters? GOP Republicans are successful at failing and hurting OUR COUNTRY in the eyes of the WORLD. Can we really afford to ignore what the ENTIRE WORLD THINKS OF US?

How does the WORLD perceive AMERICA led by Barack Obama? Extremely favorable.

How does the WORLD perceive AMERICA led by John McCain? Extremely negative.

McCain has perpetually been a failure from school until now.
Palin has perpetually been a failure (with a hillbilly hockey mom accent) from day one until now. Her bear hunting Arctic outback kids prove it.

Do you really need someone to tell you these basic facts? Under the Freedom of Information Act, all of this information is available free if you choose to type in the questions.

Lets prove to the Europeans and the World that we are not stupid, because they think that we are after two terms of Forrest Gump Bush.

D Student Crash Every Plane McCain and Hillbilly Trailer Palin are not reflective of the American People.

If Palin had a brain, then she would have considered the immense responsibilities demanded of the Office of the United States Vice President or President; and politely declined McCain’s crack induced invitation. GOP Republican Party is a joke.

If FOX NEWS does not clean up it’s filthy RACIST acts of discrimination, then American and European audiences will B O Y C O T T FOX RACIST NEWS.

REPORT SAYS GOP REPUBLICAN OIL AGENCY RAN AMOK

INVESTIGATION OF GOP REPUBLICAN OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET

INVESTIGATION OF GOP REPUBLICAN MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE OIL MARKETING GROUP

GOP REPUBLICAN Government officials in charge of collecting billions of dollars worth of royalties from OIL and gas companies accepted gifts, steered contracts to favored clients and engaged in drug use and illicit sex with employees of the energy firms, federal investigators reported.

Investigators from the Interior Department's inspector general's office said more than a dozen employees, including the former director of the OIL royalty program, took meals, ski trips, sports tickets and golf outings from industry representatives. The report alleges that the former director, also netted more than $30,000 from improper outside work.

The report from Inspector General contains fresh allegations about the practices at the beleaguered royalty-in-kind program of Interior's Minerals Management Service, which last year collected more than $4 billion worth of OIL and natural gas from companies given contracts to tap energy on federal and Indian lands and offshore. The revelations come as Congress is set to consider opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and areas off the coast of Florida for drilling.

The royalty-in-kind program, based near Denver, allows energy companies to pay the government in OIL and gas, rather than cash, for the privilege of drilling on government land. It has been the subject of multiple investigations since 2006 by the Interior Department's secretary, its inspector general, the Justice Department and Congress for alleged mismanagement and conflicts of interest.

In the report released yesterday, investigators said they "discovered a culture of substance abuse and promiscuity" in which employees accepted gratuities "with prodigious frequency." The report cited one e-mail from a Shell Pipeline representative asking a woman in the royalty office to attend "tailgating festivities" at a Houston Texans football game: "You're invited . . . have you and the girls meet at my place at 6am for bubble baths and final prep."

Besides Shell, the energy company employees mentioned in the report worked for Chevron, Hess and Gary-Williams Energy. The social outings detailed in the report included alcohol-, cocaine- and marijuana-filled parties where certain employees of the Minerals Management Service were nicknamed the "MMS Chicks" by the energy employees. The companies paid for federal workers to attend football and baseball games, PGA Tour events, Colorado ski trips, paintball outings and "treasure hunts," investigators found.

"The OIL INDUSTRY holds shocking sway over the ADMINISTRATION and even KEY FEDERAL EMPLOYEES,". "This is why we must not allow BIG OIL'S AGENDA to be jammed through CONGRESS."

The current director of the Minerals Management Service, said that he takes the report "very seriously".
Employees identified in the report told investigators that they didn't think ethics rules applied to them because of their "unique" role in the agency and that they needed to socialize with industry representatives for "market intelligence," according to the report. Those employees, some of whom have been transferred to different offices, have been recommended for internal administrative action.

The inspector general's release comprised three separate reports, including one devoted to the program's director. It alleges that Smith improperly worked part time for Geomatrix Consultants, an Oakland, Calif.-based environmental and engineering firm, and marketed the company to government clients.

Additionally, the report said that the director had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a subordinate whom he paid to buy cocaine, promising her a bonus in return. The director admitted to the sexual encounter.

The director, who now works for a private OIL company in Denver, did not respond to requests for comment. Investigators referred their findings to federal prosecutors.

Justice officials also declined to comment on their decision about the criminal case against the highest-ranking official named in the report director of the Minerals Management Service, who worked in Washington. She is accused of improperly arranging a million-dollar deal for two retired employees.

The wife of the procurement policy administrator for the WHITE HOUSE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET, retired from government service Jan. 31. She declined to comment on the report. She told investigators she had a "personal issue. The Justice Department's decision to charge created a rift with Interior officials.

One of the two retired employees pleaded guilty in July to a federal conflict-of-interest charge related to the investigation. Another employee has been under investigation for similar conflict-of-interest allegations.

Before he left, Mayberry created a job for himself by writing the job description and the criteria for selecting the winning bidder, court documents show. He started a company out of his Texas home and was awarded a $150,000 contract in June 2003. He later hired Dial, the report said. Mayberry's firm collected $788,000 worth of contracts.

The royalty-in-kind program, which started as a small pilot project a decade ago, has been touted as a way to simplify the way OIL AND GAS COMPANIES pay for the right to drill on federal land and offshore. Instead of calculating the profit from a well, they can simply give the government one-eighth to one-sixth of whatever they take from the ground.

Revenue rose quickly, from $1.5 billion in 2004 to $4.3 billion last fiscal year. But the growth occurred "in an environment with relatively unstructured in-house oversight," the congressionally convened Royalty Policy Committee said in a December report. Previous reports have said that companies were allowed to revise their million-dollar bids for projects indiscriminately, that government workers routinely failed to seek out legal advice on complicated deals and that the agency used outdated computers and a $150 million software program that resulted in royalty money going uncollected.

A lawyer who represented states and tribes entitled to a cut of the royalties, said it was nearly impossible to get accurate numbers from the agency. "They kept hemming and hawing," she said.

In late 2006 questions arose over its handling of leases written in 1998 and 1999 that allowed major OIL companies drilling in the Gulf of Mexico to avoid billions of dollars in royalty payments.

Former Interior Department auditors accused the agency of failing to bill companies. "We weren't allowed to audit them. It was disturbing," said an auditor who sued the federal government for not collecting royalties. "You couldn't see what was going on."

The minerals agency director said that the harm done by the royalty employees was to public trust and Treasury, and acknowledged that financial considerations were given to firms that gave favors to federal employees, and he said the contracts will be audited.

Do you really question the motives of GOP Republicans Criminals? America must Immediately Nationalize U.S. OIL and Gas For National Defense.

DEMOCRAT HARVARD LAW VS. GOP REPUBLICAN CRASH JET AND MUDVILLE

U.S. Presidents From Harvard Law
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Rutherford Hayes
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt
John Kennedy
Barack Obama

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain was privileged, given everything by both parents, and worked for nothing.

Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama grew up poor, raised by his Irish-American single white mother and Irish-American white working class maternal grand parents. Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama was given nothing and worked for everything.

Education

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain was a D student and graduated last in his class. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain and McBush Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire share failed academic records. He partied constantly and dependent on favor handouts from his high ranking father and grandfather. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain earned nothing on his own similar to McBush Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain is also Internet illiterate which slows down his information processing capacity. Is this good for the country?

Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama worked hard and became PRESIDENT OF THE HARVARD LAW REVIEW. Everything that Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama accomplished he did on his own. Irish-American Barack Obama’s HARVARD Scholarship ranks among the best. Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama’s hard work represents the American Dream.

Community Service

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain poor studies translated into poor performances in the military where he crashed several planes and recklessly endangered the lives of others. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain was never trusted by his colleagues nor loved by his peers. The highlight of D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain’s career was getting shot down and becoming a prisoner. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain served his country by getting handouts from his guards. Getting handouts seems to be D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain’s modem of operations. WillObscenelyRich Crash Every Plane McCain, who finished 894th out of 899 at the Naval Academy and who lost five jets, return competence to the White House? To lose one plane over Vietnam may be a heroic tragedy; to lose five planes here and there is carelessness.

Irish-American Barack Obama turned down large profits after graduating from HARVARD LAW to serve the community in Chicago where help was needed most. The community learned to trust and love Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama for his dedication to public service.

Marriage

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain walked out on his family to chase a younger woman who was on drugs, embezzling money from her company, stealing, and facing criminal charges, until her privileged family saved her from trial. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain’s dysfunctional family represents chaos and lack of respect when he curses her in public.

Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama married an intelligent IVY LEAGUE attorney and adores his beautiful young daughters. Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama’s First Family represents what America is striving for. Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama has always been surrounded by and still maintains a great respect for women (Irish mother, Irish grandmother, sister, wife, and two daughters). If anyone is in tune with and favors the betterment of working American women, then it’s Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama.

The World loves Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama and will follow America’s leadership behind Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama.

If D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain had to make another emergency landing on a deserted island with Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama onboard as one of the passengers, then it is safe to say that D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain would assume the role of Gilligan, while Irish-American and Harvard Law Scholar Barack Obama would assume the role of the professor.

Navy pilot John Sidney D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III should have never been allowed to graduate from the U.S. Navy flight school. He was a below average student and a lousy pilot. Had his father and grandfather not been famous four star U.S. Navy admirals, D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III would have never been allowed in the cockpit of a military aircraft.

His father John S. "Junior" McCain was commander of U.S. forces in Europe later becoming commander of American forces in Vietnam while D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III was being held prisoner of war. D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III's grandfather John S. McCain, Sr. commanded naval aviation at the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.

During his relative short stunt on flight status, D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III lost five U.S. Navy aircraft, four in accidents and one in combat.

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain III lost jet number one in 1958 when he plunged into Corpus Christi Bay while practicing landings. He was knocked unconscious by the impact coming to as the plane settled to the bottom.

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's second crash occurred while he was deployed in the Mediterranean. Flying too low over the Iberian Peninsula, he took out some power lines which led to a spate of newspaper stories in which he was predictably identified as the son of an admiral."

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's third crash three occurred when he was returning from flying a Navy trainer solo to Philadelphia for an Army-Navy football game.

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's fourth aircraft loss occurred July 29, 1967, soon after he was assigned to the USS Forrestal as an A-4 Skyhawk pilot. While seated in the cockpit of his aircraft waiting his turn for takeoff, an accidently fired rocket slammed into D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's plane. He escaped from the burning aircraft, but the explosions that followed killed 134 sailors, destroyed at least 20 aircraft, and threatened to sink the ship.

"Demands for military information were accompanied by threats to terminate my medical treatment if I [D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain] did not cooperate. Eventually, I gave them my ship's name and squadron number, and confirmed that my target had been the power plant."

When the communist learned that D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's father was Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., the soon-to-be commander of all U.S. Forces in the Pacific, he was rushed to Gai Lam military hospital.

The communist Vietnamese figured, because POW D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain's father was of such high military rank, that he was of royalty or the governing circle. Thereafter the communist bragged that they had captured "the crown prince."

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain had roughly 20 hours in combat. Since D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain got 28 medals, that equals out to a medal-and-a-half for each hour he spent in combat. There were infantry guys -- grunts on the ground -- who had more than 7,000 hours in combat where I'm sure a prison cell would have looked pretty good to them by comparison. The question really is how many guys got that number of medals for not being shot down.

D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain has been an unchecked master at manipulating an overly friendly and biased news media. The former POW turned Congressman, turned U.S. Senator, has managed to gloss over his failures as a pilot and collaborations with the enemy by exaggerating his military service and lying about his feats of heroism.

Former naval officer and the owner of an OOIIILLLL-trading company that inked defense contracts worth $1 billion is the modern presidential money man. The law forbids high-level supporters from writing huge checks, but with help from friends in the Middle East D Student Obscenely Rich Wall Street OOIIILLLL Millionaire Crash Every Plane McCain is receiving large donations.

If FOX NEWS does not clean up it’s filthy RACIST acts of discrimination, then American and European audiences will B O Y C O T T FOX RACIST NEWS.

Barak Obama proved why November's presidential election will end in a 50-state sweep. John Crash Every Plane McCain has no chance. It's like George Bush climbing into the ring with Mike Tyson; one thundering left hook and the Crawford Caligula would be sprawled across the canvas. "No mas"! The same fate awaits the crabby senator from Arizona. The polls are skewed to look like there's a political horse-race going on. There isn't. It's a complete rout. There's one well-toned thoroughbred striding from venue to venue electrifying the ever-increasing throngs, and one doddering, old mare limping towards the glue-factory. Someone should put a stop to it before Crash Every Plane McCain gets hurt.

At the Victory Column in Berlin's Tiergarten, Obama extracted Old Glory from the burn-pile and gave Brand America a desperately needed shot of adrenaline. 200,000 ecstatic Germans jammed the streets in what turned out to be the political shindig of the year. Many of them were waving American flags and chanting, "Obama, Obama, Obama". It was like Jack Kennedy had risen from his moldy sepulcher and made his way across the pond for one last rousing ovation. Obama has the very same affect on crowds. Its a gift and he knows how to use it to great advantage.

"People of Berlin, people of the world, this is our moment, this is our time," Obama boomed. "I know my country has not perfected itself, we've made our share of mistakes and there are times when our actions around the world have not lived up to our best intentions. But the greatest danger of all is to allow new walls to divide us from one another."

What can we say about Obama's oratory skills that hasn't already been said? He is one of those unique characters who knows how to tap into the collective psyche and put them under his spell. He is the closest thing to a Pied Piper we've seen in the last half century. Whatever one thinks of his politics, his speeches are a welcome reprieve from the simian blabbering of President Dimwit.

"I speak to you not as a candidate for president, but as a citizen; a proud citizen of the United States and a fellow citizen of the world." (Roaring applause)

JOHN Crash Every Plane McCain: Maverick or Freak?
Have you taken a look at the crowds at a Crash Every Plane McCain event. Usually, there aren't any. Typically, there are more journalists and cameramen then people; and even they look bored. It's the truth. He generates no enthusiasm at all. None. He may be the most uninspiring, tedious, pure-vanilla candidate of all time; a complete dud. I challenge anyone to recite from memory anything John Crash Every Plane McCain has ever said in his 40 years in office. Time's up! When Crash Every Plane McCain begins to talk, its a signal for women to pull out the nail-files and for men to figure out how they're going to get out of cutting the lawn this week. Really. No one listens.

And the people that do manage to drag themselves to his speeches out of a sense of obligation are (you guessed it) scowling white guys with baseball caps pulled tightly over their ears or nearly-ambulatory Korea-era Vets who think the United Nations is a communist front-group that's planning to air-drop blue-helmets into Duluth to take over the United States. Tin-foil hats anyone?

Popularity and charisma, how does one survive in politics with neither. That's the question, and it may be the biggest mystery of Crash Every Plane McCain's candidacy. He's just not a likable guy. No one ever talks about hanging out and having a beer with John Crash Every Plane McCain, because they know that he might go "Jackie Chan" and start busting the place up. And he's utterly impossible to listen to. His high-pitched squeaky voice is about two octaves higher than a dog-whistle and twice as annoying. So how is he going to beat Obama. It's a total mismatch.

Crash Every Plane McCain is the perfect candidate for the GOP Republic party that has completely collapsed. He's like the "Jolly Roger" on the front of an iodine bottle; Brand X. In 2000, the Republican Party boasted it was the "party of ideas". What ideas? The Republican Party has never had ideas because the corporate mandarins and blue-blooded kleptocrats that run the party are suspicious of ideas, ideology, doctrine, philosophy or anything else that veers from their primary objectives of crushing the poor, despoiling the environment, carpet-bombing brown people wherever they may be, and enriching themselves. That's all they care about. The task of the right-wing think-tanks is to treat "war and tax cuts" like they're ideas. They're not. But war and tax cuts ARE the two foundation blocks of the Republican Party. There's nothing else; there never has been. Don't look for ideas; there aren't any. GOP Republican get rich quick by defrauding the American People, robbing the National Treasury, sending American jobs overseas, and raising the national debt.

Hold Bush, Cheney, Rice, and Crash Every Plane McCain accountable for the crimes they've committed during their time in office.

Obama is not a candidate; he's a phenomenon. Obama is an explosive, vital, charismatic politician. When he speaks people feel better about themselves and their country. And, they're more hopeful about the future, too. That's what makes him unbeatable.

Crash Every Plane McCain, on the other hand, is the perfect embodiment of his party; a rusty, broken-down hulk that's been stripped of its engine, its fenders and all its moving parts. Even the steering wheel is gone. It's a dead-loss; nothing is salvageable.

Crash Every Plane McCain is in way over his head. This election is going to be a real embarrassment for him. It's too bad. He should be back at the Phoenix Rest Home shooing kids off the front lawn instead of waiting for the ax to fall in November. It's a rotten way to end a career.

GOP Republican Wall Street SRO (Self Regulatory Organization) Robber Baron Supercapitalism Is Down And Will No Longer Rob the U.S. Treasury and American People

GOP REPUBLICAN PLANE/TRAILER WRECK MCCAIN/PALIN

With Wall Street OOOIIIIILLLLLL stocks paid under the table to Sarah Palin OOOOIIIIILLLLLL Commissioner from OOOOOIIIIIILLLLLLL Millionaires Crash Every Plane McCain, Bush, Cheney, Rice and Guiliani; it appears that Sarah Palin OOOOIIIIILLLLLL Commissioner, her large family, dogs, cats, chickens, and hogs can now move out of their trailer. Guiliani went from GOP front runner to anonymous polygamist. Guiliani is the biggest joke and shares home dysfunction with Bush, Cheney, Rice, Crash Every Plane McCain and now Sarah trailer Palin OOOOIIIIILLLLLL Commissioner. OOOOIIIIILLLLLLL Millions stolen from Our Treasury did not help their dysfunctional families.

GOP Republican Wall Street Get Rich by robbing the American Treasury and outsourcing American jobs party has officially been dissolved. Plane wreck McCrash and Train wreck Trailer Palin OOOOIIIIILLLLLL Commissioners have destroyed the already dysfunctional GOP Republican Party of Corporate Welfare Thieves.

Democrats and Independents are the official parties. Blessings to America and the World for peaceful cooperation and the elimination of unjust wars for GOP profits. The People First Party has arrived and Rich Wall Street millionaires will no longer use the American People as their cattle. Americans today are all free independent Democratic People in pursuit of happiness in the spirit of cooperation.

“We joined up with an altruistic vision of promoting freedom and justice around the world,” said Vince Emanuel, a Marine lance corporal who did a tour of duty in Iraq from August 2004 to April 2005, explaining why he was marching and protesting the GOP Republican Convention.

“Except we saw the killing of innocent people and the destruction of property ... for a lot of us it was very disenfranchising."

The veterans group tried to hand a message to the campaign of GOP Republican John Crash Every Plane McCain calling for a withdrawal from Iraq, reparations for the Iraqi people, and full medical benefits for veterans. No one from John Crash Every Plane McCain’s campaign received them.

If FOX NEWS does not clean up it’s filthy RACIST acts of discrimination, then American and European audiences will B O Y C O T T FOX RACIST NEWS.

GOP Republican Wall Street SRO (Self Regulatory Organization) Robber Baron Supercapitalism Is Down And Will No Longer Rob the U.S. Treasury and American People

Prerequisite for the United Stats President and Vice President is advance degrees, especially in Constitutional Law. D student McCain and hillbilly Palin are excluded from the highest offices in the World. The debates will be fun: Harvard Law vs. Crash Jet and Mudville.

Campbell Brown left NBC/MSNBC because of her pregnancy. She was the weekend anchor of the Today Show with Lester Holt. I recall her telling the audience that she was leaving to raise her family. Then she signs on with CNN. So was her pregnancy a convenience to get out of her contract?

Palin has never, ever claimed to have gone to Iraq. Her trip a year ago to Camp Buehring in Kuwait and Landstuhl in Germany was widely and correctly reported in Alaska. This is a total non-gotcha, a total error on the part of the MEDIA.

As a Canadian observer, I can't believe some of the comments that people make. In Canada even our far right wings are more center than some of you guys.... or should I say more intelctual?
And Obama as much as you guys think is lefty... he is not in Canadian political standard. As a Canadian I enjoy the public healthcare and our economy/currency is getting more and more strong ( at least in compare wit you guys) ....I should say it is a shame that McCain thinks public health care is too expensive, it truly is.
Anyway, I don't think it is rocket sience to figure out which party represents stronger economy and the interest of middel calss.

the thing that has stuck with me from the beginning of McCain's campaign is that he said that he'd stop offering college to our soldiers to help the economy and he'd start a draft, and to help the economically disadvantaged he'd tell them to get a job, and he says that we'll stay in Iraq for the next 100 years if we have to. On top of all of that he admits that he doesn't understand the economy. Without the economy the war is lost and so are our defenses. I've watched for the last eight years as our freedoms bagan to dwindle with such attrocities as the Patriot act to pre-emptive strikes on people who do nothing more than protest. I remember I used to be able to live off of minimum wage now I can't survive without making $9/hr at the least. Please give Bill Clinton his third term and Vote Obama

Sarah is the poster child for the republican party. If anyone dares to put her through the same tough stuff Hillary was, they will screem and hollar for ever. Her scripted interview with ABC didn't show me much of what she really stands for. We'll see how everyone acts about the debate afeer it is over. Biden will be ripped to sherds if he get tough with her.

Quote: "I am so sorry that you had to give up your values just because your Gal lost. I would have supported either person for President. This reaction and the reaction posted on the mentioned website are childish. Please regain your integrity. ...That is if you truly are a Hillary supporter."

Posted by: Anonymous | September 15, 2008 8:57 AM

I did not say that I was personally a Hillary Clinton supporter. However, I do have many friends that were supporting Hillary, who will vote for McCain-Palin! They supported Hillary madame - not Obama! As far as they are concerned they like what they see in Palin and McCain more than what they see in Obama Bin Biden!

But even if I was a former Hillary supporter - I would not consider that I was losing my integrity by voting for a better person on the other side! Your argument is rediculous since I did not say anywhere that Hillary supporters were going to vote for McCain-Palin because they were just angry (although they are). They are feeling is that they do not owe anything to Obama - neither the Clintons owe anything to Obama. He made his bed by not picking Hillary as his VP - let him sleep in it now!

3 out of 4 friends of mine - former Hillary supporters - have decided to vote for McCain-Palin! The 4th says she is not sure yet, she would rather stay home on election day than voting for "Obama bin Biden"!

Ok...i'm canadian...we have our own campaign right now...this is probably where I should be right now...but this Pallin lady is very special...and the republican are very defensive of her. i am quite amuse by it! Instead of trying to defend her lies, why aren't they asking questions about her? Lets be frank, aren't you also a little surprise about a choice like this lady?? Isn't it amazing that you might have has a vice-president, a woman who has no idea about foreign policies? Whose only prudential is being a mayor of a small town? and of course, 2 years has governor...only 2 years and already questioned and in court for using over using her power...
i don't know, but instead of trying to defend her, I would be sooo mad at my candidate(Mccain) for thinking that I am that stupid.you know you are allowed to questioned, you are allowed to demand answers. that would not make you bad republicains...Just good citizens of the world. I have to admit, this lady has an amazing persona, she is energetic, and refreshing in many ways, but to give her so much power, isn't it belittling the presidency of the greatest country of the world?? any way just a thought...

By the way, I have to hear any "attack" on Palin's experience by Senator Hillary Clinton!

Food for thought perhaps? To the contrary, Hillary was pretty direct in her attacks against Obama regarding his experience! Remember that "3:00 AM Call to the White House" and her categorical statements that Obama was not fit to be Commander in Chief?

Of course you do not expect Hillary to make such statement now about Sarah Palin, ah? Perhaps, because she still feels that Sarah Palin is better fit to become...Vice President!

Remember, and please DO NOT DIVERT FROM THE FACT THAT IT IS OBAMA RUNNING TO BE COMMANDWER IN CHIEF - NOT SARAH PALIN!

McCain is running primarily on his record as a navy aviator. The record indicates that he was a substandard flyer, losing at least 4 navy planes due to recklessness and incompetence. As a Worl War 2 submariner I would not want to go on patrol with him as my skipper.

Would the American public accept a male with as few qualifications as Gov Palin? This woman was picked by Dobson, Tony Perkins, Gary Bauer et al and McCain was forced to accept her to get the Evangelical vote. Tom Ridge would have been an ideal choice, yet because of his pro-choice views he was considered "too radical" for the Far Right.If McCain/Palin are elected, I think that this Country will have made much more of a mistake than they did when they elected Bush for the second time. I think the phrase "Be careful what you wish for" applies doubly in their case.

Sarah Palin is not qualified to be the Vice President let alone President. We are facing real issues: a never-ending war, financial crisis, economic crisis, 47 million people without health insurance, crumbling infrastructure, energy crisis and an education system that is failing too many young people. Talking points are not solutions. Frankly I don't see a clear vision for the future from John McCain either. Cutting taxes will not reduce our deficit spending and debt. The Bush administration cut taxes and look at the mess we're in.

"I continue to believe that Palin’s lack of engagement with most national and virtually all international issues until the moment of her selection will eventually become a bigger issue. So will McCain’s extremely limited personal knowledge of Palin before he picked her."

I so hope you are right, but at this moment, I'm just plain scared and incredulous. Nominating Sarah Palin may have been a masterful political move that was good for McCain. But it was bad for the country. Very, very bad and to me, actually unpatriotic.

We need the best and the brightest, the most experienced and best prepared. She is not that. Not even close.

Whoa, someone sure wants to give Harvard Law a lot of credit into the White House ...

U.S. Presidents From Harvard Law
John Adams
John Quincy Adams
Rutherford Hayes
Theodore Roosevelt
Franklin Roosevelt
John Kennedy
Barack Obama

Neither Adams attended Harvard Law. They Harvard College and became attorneys after serving as apprentices. In fact, Harvard Law was not established until 1817, well after either Adam finished their studies. Teddy Roosevelt graduated from Harvard College and entered Columbia Law School but dropped out to enter public life. Franklin D. Roosevelt graduated from Harvard and like his cousin, entered and dropped out of Columbia Law School. He never graduated from Columbia because he passed the NY bar exam. Kennedy was not a lawyer and never attended Harvard Law. He received a degree in international affairs at Harvard. So the only Harvard Law School grad from the bunch was Rutherford B. Hayes. Was there anything significant about his presidency?

Boo Hoo Poor Sarah. What the former weather girl has to understand is that she is stomping with the big dogs, now. She is REQUIRED to be interviewed just like any other candidate. And interviewed hard and often. Why has she only given one interview? Pit Bulls are good at defending themselves, why is she hiding?? She's not afraid of the big bad media. Is she????

Quote: "Campbell Brown left NBC/MSNBC because of her pregnancy. She was the weekend anchor of the Today Show with Lester Holt. I recall her telling the audience that she was leaving to raise her family. Then she signs on with CNN. So was her pregnancy a convenience to get out of her contract?"Posted by: Anonymous | September 15, 2008 9:08 AM

Reply to Anonymous:

That's an excellent question...here comes some more food for thought about Ms. Brownnose!

CNN's Campbell Brown: "Mother of 5 shouldn't be a VP"

Quote: "Amazing to me the fuss about a Mother of Five not being suitable for a VP position. Nancy Pelosi has five children and 7 grandchildren and has been in political life a long time. There are 16 Female Senators, 5 Rep. and 11 Dem. most of whom have two or more children. And this just scratches the surface, it's a non-issue. Go Sarah!" Posted by: M Rhodes of CA.

Reply to M. Rhodes of CA:

Bingo!!! I agree 100%!

Campbell Brown - the maniac of CNN - had a special report on this last night - bending obviously out of shape (as usually) about how Sarah Palin was going to juggle 5 kids and the VP position!

I suggest to Campbell Brown to resign from her position at CNN and stay home to juggle her 8 month old baby! She will be doing us a favor - no love lost here!

Sarah Palin's private life and how she juggles her 5 kids is none of Campbell Brown's or anyone else's business! Besides, why she did has not asked Joe Biden why he did not abandon his career as a Senator to stay home with teo children after that tragic automobile accident in which he lost his wife? If she had asked such question she would have been fired and rightfully so!

Why is this neurotic/maniac of CNN - Campbell Brown - so obsessed with Sarah Palin?

P.S. CNN needs to put her on some sort of tranquilizers...I am worried about Campbell Brown's ability to be a fit mother with all these nerves of hers!

I continue to be baffled that Hilliary, who is experienced, has the knowledge of the country and was put under the microscope and kept her intregity during the process, but was not chosen as a vice presidential candidate, would then make me want to vote for Sarah who is being so closely protected by her party and then when asked to answer questions regarding policy and her qualifications all republicans "cry foul". Women should unite, but for causes. Not simply because there's a uterus in question. I don't care if the vice president is a woman or a man - I care they'll FINALLY truthfully answer questions on policy and stop "spinning" everything. Let's TALK folks, facts, questions, answers. For all parties involved.

When I was a kid, when a person lied that person was a "liar". A person who lied in public with no shame was a "bald-faced liar". Now with all the political correctness I guess Sarah Palin is just an "un-truth-er"!

One more thing ... if John McCain gets into office and (heaven forbid, and I mean that) croaks, Sarah will be President! Can you see "Miss Talking Points" who crammed for the exam sitting across from Putin, or Ahmadinijad, or Kim Il Jong? They will eat her and the country up! Then all we'll have will be moose and lipstick. To vote for McCain because his running mate is a woman is just plain stupid! And if you don't want someone to call you "stupid", then don't do stupid things! I hope we can dodge this bullet.

1) if Palin and McCain are lying to us during the campaign, what else will they lie to us about if they win?

2) Palin has virtually no national and international experience and knowledge, which means she will either do very little as vice president or screw up what she is asked to do. The next president will have many important things to do such as fixing the economy, ending the war in Iraq, developing alternative energy sources, and helping all Americans get health care. McCain has indicated his lack of knowledge of economic matters, has called ending the war in Iraq "surrender", has an oil lobbyist leading his transition team if he wins, and has a plan to end the corporate tax deduction for employer provided health care which will require Americans to buy their own $10,000 health insurance policies for their families. With median family income in the US at $50,000, that will be a heavy expense.

3) McCain has promised to put America first and says he'd rather lose an election than lose the country. Yet he picks a running mate whose sole credential is not helping him on any of the aforementioned problems, but who appeals to the extreme right wing of his party. This is not putting America first; this is win an election at all costs as the expense of America. At least Obama picked a running mate who addressed his primary lack of experience: foreign policy. McCain picked a running mate that addressed his lack of appeal to extreme right wingers.

Wag the dog, wag 2 dogs. Sarah Palin would be alot better off if she stuck to the truth about her experience and showed a little humility. What she and they are doing are painting her into a corner where everything she says is laughed at as just another untruth. It is long overdue for the media to get tough on the McCain campaign for their strategy of lying their way into the White House - lying about trivial matters and being totally silent on the big issues that American people care about. This is the most disgusting campaign in years, going right back to Dukasis and the tank.

WoW!
You truly are completely in the tank for this empty suit Obama aren't you E.J.
Okay, no point in further reading of your columns. I'm done. As far as I'm concerned, we are from two different countries.

As an "old European", as your former Defence Secretary Donald Ramsfeld once said, referring to those ones in Europe not willing to engage in what we (85%) knew would be a disaster (5 years later, we can say it was, can't we?), I can't but be astonished at the debate around Mrs Palin.
Are you serious about having a woman who doesn't have the palest idea of the world around her as VP (and possibly P) od the USA?
Have you ever tried to do any SERIOUS risk assessment? Can you imagine her in position of hitting THE red button (I suppose to protect Georgia against the evil Russians...)
She is certainly a "normal" person, but if you want to rule the most influential country in the world you can't be it.
G.W.Bush was elected, among other reasons, because he looked like a "normal" American, much more than the "intellectual" Al Gore.
Here you have the results, don't repeat the same mistake. Romans used to say "Errare humanum est, perseverare diabolicum"... which mean that making mistakes is human, doing it again is diabolic. My apologies if this citation sounds too "intellectual", and for trying to explain the point of view of probably many Europens, but your errors are paid by many more people than those living in the US

Quote: "Finally someone living in the REAL WORLD - welcome Sarah Palin!

jmho all the fuss is about intimidation - the other party just realized they put 2 senators (no day to day decision making experience), up for election. Seems they'll stop at nothing to slam Palin or should I say - put her in her place. This should outrage feminists EVERYWHERE.

The media is blasting Sarah by picking on her kids so she'll quit? What is this the freaking playground?!

I just pray she tunesit out and kicks their butt. I've never seen such intent slamming of a strong woman & I'll say it, the manner in which this election is being run (lets blast the children!) will deter women from running again unless the WOMEN stand up for her right to have A life. It's about time we got someone from the real world in a position of power in the white house ~Thank god it's a woman that can multi task!

BTW in some countries folks would be imprisoned for their comments about a politicians children. To be honest as low as these shots are I'd look the other way if there were a witch hunt. Attacking the young family of this candidate will win many, many sway votes.

I like Obama. He's an excellent, charismatic speaker (refreshing (esp after the last 8 years, yes?) but his resume vs. the job he's vying for are not *yet* in sync. It would be like a patent lawyer getting a Supreme Court seat just because she knew someone or maybe had something on someone..."

McSame and the Repuglican't machine has turned this election into a reality TV show; "Who Wants to be America's President." It is the same smoke, mirrors, and lies that have won the oval office for the Ripoffuglicans for the past two elections. It is more from Karl Rove and his rewrite of Mien Kampf: "Tell a big lie and repeat it until enough people believe it." America, its collective brain numbed by enough lies and press grabbing tricks like Palin gets the government (or lack of it) that it deserves if it does not pay more attention to the meat of the matter and not the fluff handed to them by a lazy media. Palin is a good looking MILF that speaks to the public like a kindergarten teacher. I guess in the American public she has found her audience. Of course, George Bush speaks like a kindergartener so she may not be far off the mark. If McSame wins, I am seriously considering moving my business and its 100 jobs to Canada.

I would laugh if this wasn't such serious business. Are people really serious when they talk about Palin's "executive experience". Firing the city attorney, financing an ice rink, and intimidating the libray for having books that are offensive to evangelicals doesn't strike me as being too helpful in addressing the meltdown on Wall Street, the emergence of Russian military and economic power, or how to deal with the myriad of economic and social problems facing the nation. It is not because she is a women that she needs to be exposed but because she is incompetent.

Lets' scrutinize Ms. Brownnose to give her a little taste of how it feels when someone attacks your family/private life...

Let’s Take A Look At Campbell Brown’s Family
by Dave Gibson (9/4/08)

A few days ago, CNN anchor Campbell Brown went on a very personal attack against Republican Vice-Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin. McCain campaign spokesman Tucker Bounds was giving Brown an interview, when she decided to place the focus of the conversation on the Governor’s 17-year old daughter Bristol, who is pregnant.

Brown said: “Tucker, though, this obviously putting this young woman, Bristol Palin smack in the media spotlight at what’s already got to be a very challenging time in her life. I mean, how do you respond to people who wonder why her mother would have subjected her to this scrutiny by accepting this high-profile position?”

Brown went on to say: “I recognize that in an ideal world, it would be private. You know, this is a presidential campaign. Nothing is private. The world is watching and if we, you know, as much as everyone might want to give this young woman her privacy, you know that’s not going to happen. And so you do risk putting her through an incredibly difficult process by accepting this job if you’re her mother. You can’t deny that, right?”

Well, this is obviously not an ideal world. Nor is it any longer a world in which the press gives legitimate, unbiased coverage to any and all candidates. This is in fact, now a world in which the press has decided to join the side of the leftist Democrat Party, and attack the Republican Party. Night after night, that same press ignores the fact that Barack Obama launched his political career at the home of unrepentant Weather Underground terrorist William Ayers, while attacking the parenting skills of Sarah Palin.

Since CNN’s Campbell Brown has changed the rules of the game, and it is now evidently appropriate for the mainstream media to question a candidate’s parenting skills and focus on the behavior of the candidate’s family...Then it is also fair to examine the behavior of those related to those members of the press who pose such questions.

In 2003, CNN’s Campbell Brown’s father Jim Brown served six months in federal prison, after being convicted of lying to a federal agent, during a fraud and conspiracy investigation involving Cascade Insurance Co. At the time, Jim Brown was serving as the insurance commissioner of Louisiana, a position which he was forced to resign after the U.S. Supreme Court refused his appeal for the second time. Brown continued that position’s legacy, as the two previous insurance commissioners were convicted of taking bribes and illegal campaign contributions from insurance companies, and still sit in federal prison.

So I would pose this question to Campbell Brown: Since the world is watching you...Do you think it is fair to your father to place this kind of scrutiny on him, since he is a convicted federal criminal? I mean, I know that it has to be painful for him. So don’t you think that you should have ended your journalistic career after he was convicted and resigned in disgrace? You want to be a good daughter don’t you?

We are currently seeing the most illegitimate campaign coverage in U.S. political history. We have seen so-called journalists become nothing more than cheerleaders for the left, and press secretaries for Barack Hussein Obama. In fact, I believe that the Obama campaign should have to list the glowing coverage provided by MSNBC as an in-kind campaign contribution!

I as a true conservative, now find myself in the unusual and uncomfortable position of defending the Republican Party presidential nominee. However, when the left-wing ignores major issues, and so alters their coverage to paint the Democrat as basically the next messiah, and stoops so low as to attack a child...I have no choice.

If those who often cheer for our enemies and hate this nation so much that they would refuse to report the truth as it relates to the success of our troops, as well as to the more than questionable past of Barack Hussein Obama, no one who loves this country has any choice but to support Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin.

after the terrible way the democratic party treated hillary, it is sickening to see her pandering to obama and begging people to vote for him. if the republican party treated palin like that she, at least, would crap on them. hillary was smart, but she has no dignity.

So now we learn that Sarah Palin did not go to visit troops in Iraq, as the McCain-Palin campaign originally claimed, nor did she visit Ireland, as a spokesman claimed – she went through Ireland only for a refueling stop. Good reporting by the Boston Globe got to the truth of the matter.
_______________________

Every report I heard said Plain visited Alaska National guard troops in Kuwait.. So if I knew this how come you are shocked by it.. Besides Kuwait is a heck of a lot closer to Iraq than any country Obama visited before McCain goaded him in going just a few weeks ago. And Ireland, besides who cares, Palin HERSELF said she only traveled to Canada and Mexico, besides her trip to the Middle East, in her interview to Charlie.. So what big secret did the Boston Globe reveal again? Also concerning Russia.. Chris Matthews has reported... As governor of Alaska , Palin is briefed on what's going on in Russia politically and militarily. So unless Matthews is wrong, and I hardly believe he would make this up to protect Palin, she knows a lot more about is going on in Russia than your average governor.. probably even more than Obama...

1. The US Constitution claims that all men are equal. Which, for an evangelist, is silly, for every body knows that non-believers will be put to death. In fact, they pray for Jesus to return, in order to kill at least 90% of humanity. A good evangelist prays for this genocidal act daily. Which I find weird, the Vice Presidetntial candidate praying for the deaths of billions of people.
.
2. The USA was founded on religious freedom and separation of church and state. It allows other religions to operate. The Bible says that all non-believers will be put to death, so the idea the United States of America was founded on the precept of religious freedom is overruled by the bible.

3. The U.S. Constitution does not recognize that God’s law is paramount.

4. It allows woman control over their bodies.

5. It allows evil books in it’s libraries.

6. It has not used its nuclear arsenal to fulfill God’s Plan. I mean, c’mon, what’s all this waiting around? It’s up to us to do it.

Evangelicals, if the truth be told, hate their Country. Patriots? Please. The Bible is where their allegiances lay. Which brings up the old Sinclair Lewis quote. The bell ringer of the day, “ Fascism will arrive in this country carrying a bible and draped in flag.” Sadly, it was my old party, nee the Grand Old Party, who let it in.

Supporters of the GOP have one of the great built-in weapons against criticism of any of their candidates. The right wing propaganda apparatus has convinced these people that anything critical, any little thing, comes from the "liberal media" whose one job is to lie about the Republican Party. War not going well? That's a liberal media lie. Economy bad? That's just the liberal media lying and whining. Sarah Palin just an empty skirt? The lying liberal media once again. See, it's easy. I know one guy that all you have to do is mention the word "Internet" and he goes off with "There ain't nothin' but lies on the Internet." You can be talking about Amazon and he goes into his act. It's conspiracy theory as political strategy and with our oh so savvy electorate it works quite well. Our country is a reality show and our leaders just "realish" people. As Garrison Keillor once said about the Baby Boomers, "We are one generation removed from serious people." Gen X and the Millenials don't even remember what serious even looks like.

The ignorance displayed on this board is amazing. Palin and McCain (as well As Obama and Biden) are applying for jobs. We, the American people, are the interviewers. That is all. If you feel it is appropriate for an interviewer to ask you if your teenaged daughter is preganant and/or getting married during a job interview then you are a fool. If you want to go to a job interview and be asked if ytou will still be able to be a good mother to your Down Syndrome baby, then you are ridiculous.
Find her record and scrutinize it, find her accomplishments and measure them, get some character references and see if she holds up. But leave this young woman who is getting married alone.

By the way. Why is it always in big bold letters "Preganant unmarried teenaged daughter". It should be Engaged preganant daughter.

You are questioning Obama's resume vs the job he is vying for yet you are standing up for Sarah Palin? I think you might want to take a look at those statments.

BTW, her readiness to be VP has nothing to do with her capacity to handle motherhood and a job. This is a SMOKE SCREEN that republicans are trying to blow up the american people's proverbial butts in order to cloud the real issue... that being that this woman is not anywhere near qualified enough to fill the position she is vying for. That is what it is really all about. When people get off their soap boxes and dig through the crap long enough to look at the person, maybe then we can have an honest election based on the FACTS. This country is at WAR. People are dying...daily. It's not about Feminism. It's about leadership. Has everyone forgotten that Osama Bid Laden murdered thousands of innocent people in one of the greatest cities in America? That was SEVEN years ago! Do you remember George Bush standing among the rubble and vowing to bring his to justice? Do you remember about a year ago when he was asked about Osama Bin Laden and he stated " I'm not too concerned about that fella right now"... don't believe me? Look it up. Have you forgotten that this government then invaded Iraq because of the atrocites that were being inflicted on their people and because of some imaginary weapons that never existed (see...another SMOKE SCREEN) What about the atrocities inflicted on those who died on 9/11 and their families and friends? Do you seriously believe Osama
Bin Laden is no longer a threat? This is the same party that is running for re-election. McCain is George Bush's shadow... if you think he's not, well, they've done a wonderful job of snowing you. As I said earlier, Palin is on the ticket because she's a woman and it allows for all this nonsense about sexism to fill the headlines instead of the facts. It's time for this country to WAKE UP. The future is in your hands. I suggest you choose wisely.

The tabloid press always makes a big deal about every triviality that comes along. Show me a saint and I'll show you a sinner. Show me a hero and I'll show you a bum. Show me honesty and I'll show you lies. The truth is any knowledgeable person with reasonable intelligence,a common sense mind, and an acute awareness of his or her limitations can be president. You present your vision for the country. You surround yourself with experts and advisors. You listen carefully, weigh their advice against the framework of that vision, maybe even heed your own gut instinct. And you make decisions. In America, everyday people rise to the occasion every day. Sarah Palin hails from as far away from Washington as you can get. She's raised a family, and worked her way up from city council to mayor to governor of Alaska. She's more like the average American than any candidate for high office in modern history. Sarah Palin is gonna be just fine.

If McCain and Palin should win, then I and my family would want to move to another country, perhaps Vancouver, BC or Geneva, Switzerland. It's too bad, but they would continue messing the country up, as Mr. Bush did so well for 8 years.

I suspect after seeing Ms. Palin in action, that she has grown accustomed to charming rubes into complacency, so she can push her far-right evangelical agenda without having to answer questions in a state that dwarfs all others for earmarks and operates more like a rural county than a state - much less a populous and diverse state or an entire country. The depth of her ignorance on a number of "non-sound-bite-friendly issues is going to start eclipsing her considerable charm and feigned innocence about political chicanery.

I really hope the Washingtonpost and other MSM will apologize because according to newly released report by Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Sarah Palin did kill the Bridge to Nowhere....

No, because R's will call sexism, sexism, sexism, even though they have no clue what sexism is or is not. Hey main stream media, do what Tina Fey and Amy Poehler told you to do, grow a pair, or borrow Hillary's.

Look loons, lies are lies - they should not be defended purely on who is telling them. The comebacks of (McCain/Obabam/Biden?Palin) fill in the blank rationale is tiring and childish.

Most of these issues are pure black and white and could be answered by yes or no answers, but no - due to the state of the education levels in this country, you can spoon feed the masses anything and they gobble it up like starved gold fish.

Very good column. If John McCain should get elected, I envision him giving Palin a Dan Quayle like role in his administration. She was obviously a last minute choice who is daily being exposed as underqualified for VP. Why on earth, if McCain wanted a woman, didn't he pick someone with experience?

Nominating someone like Palin for VP is not putting your 'country first.' I am not entirely surprised that the Republican constituency fails to comprehend the complexity managing America, they did, after all, re-elect Bush. Palin has even less experience, and even more isolated policy positions, to consider her for VP and possibly POTUS convinces me that conservatives absolutely do not have the best interests at heart. I will admit, however, that I think the average Republican constituent is being manipulated by the Republican political machine, which, given their penchant for faith based decision making ("trust me, I know") doesn't lessen their selfish political stubbornness.

More than ever, it is obvious to me that me that we have placed our media in the hands of too few. There is such a pronounced difference in the coverage that I can only believe there is an agends to ensure a republican victory.

All men think that a woman has to prove themselves ten times more than they do! She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!

George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!

All men are sexist pigs.

Leave Sarah Palin alone!

********************************

well there you have it - as long as there are voters out there who think like this "julie" person, that apparently W has done an "OK job", they will vote blindly based on ideology and wedge issues, rather than with their logic and sanity. If these voters can rationally argue (and it seems they believe themselves to be quite rational) that the past 8 yrs have been "just fine" and have been untouched/unaffected by a crumbling economy and dismal health care, then there is nothing the rest of us can say to make them change their minds. Barring any further insults, I find those voters to simply burry their heads in the sand. Ignorance is definitely bliss.

The problem with the out and out distortions and lies of the Republican campaign is that Republicans assert that this is what it is all about. They say that all campaigns lie or make distortions. To the extent that past voting records are subject to various interpretations, this is true.

However, the in-your-face lies of the Republican campaign have elevated this level of deceit to historic levels. How can the Republicans believe their candidates? Those of us who still recognize lies when we either see or hear them will know how to cast our votes. If we vote for a liar, we know what we are getting. Those of us who are ignoring the lies will be in for a shock. In fact, we may be in a for a larger shock than we experienced with the Bush administration.

Remember, if one's own campaign is lying to you and the country (remember "Country First), they will not stop lying in the White House. We all stand to get what we vote for. For me, it could be a disaster if a known liar is voted in and I did not want him. I did not vote for 4 more years of lies.

In November, 2005, Congress included language in the final version of the fiscal 2006 Transportation Appropriations Act that allowed the state of Alaska to either spend money on the two bridges or on other surface transportation projects. In October, 2006, Alaska Governor Frank Murkowski included $91 million for the Gravina Island Bridge in his budget submission for fiscal year 2007. As a candidate for governor, Sarah Palin expressed a mixture of support and doubt about the bridge, particularly about how the project would be funded. As governor, she submitted her budget on January 17, 2007 without any money for the bridge. On July 17, 2007, the Associated Press reported that “The state of Alaska on Friday officially abandoned the ‘bridge to nowhere’ project that became a nationwide symbol of federal pork-barrel spending.” Governor Palin said in a statement that “Ketchikan desires a better way to reach the airport, but the $398 million bridge is not the answer.”

“Media reports that Congress killed the Bridge to Nowhere are not accurate,” said Schatz. “The 2006 transportation appropriations bill allowed Alaska to decide whether or not to move forward. Governor Murkowski said yes; Governor Palin said no. Any discussion about the project should begin with facts.”

The Council for Citizens Against Government Waste is the lobbying arm of Citizens Against Government Waste, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement in government.

The article is about Palin not Obama. Why do you bring up Obama's credentials every single time there is a critism of Palin. Comparing Palin to Obama is not going to make Palin's lack of knowledge, experience and wisdom go away.

Quote: "after the terrible way the democratic party treated hillary, it is sickening to see her pandering to obama and begging people to vote for him. if the republican party treated palin like that she, at least, would crap on them. hillary was smart, but she has no dignity."

Posted by: bren | September 15, 2008 9:52 AM

The Clintons owe absolutely nothing to Obama! Hillary sould have never run after votes for him. I personally would not do anything for someone who had dumped me and treated me like trash. That is exactly what Obama did to Hillary and Bill!

Now that Obama sees the latest polls - all of a sudden he decided to have lunch with Bill Clinton in NY City, on 9/11!! He suddenly remembered the former President of The United States asking him to help him! What arrogance on Obama's part! The man is such a calculated egotistical left-wing-liberal! And, what a hypocrite! He first dumps Hillary, then he ignores Bill Clinton - then he asks their help! Give me a brake! I could never trust him to be Commander in Chief of this great country of ours! After all and like he himself used to say (we have not heard it for a while), "it is all about demonstrating good judgement! Well, he surely did not use his judgement when he failed to offer the VP spot to Hillary! Because of this, he can now stand to loose this election - and he knows it.

I do respect Hillary though for not having joined the media clowns to attack Sarah Palin on "sexist" and "experience' issues. After all, she was treated badly my the media and she herself had said categorically that Obama did not have the eperience ro become Commander in Chief. (3:00 AM Call to the White House and campaign/debate records). After all Clinton knows darn well who is running for the top of the ticket and that is not Palin that's for sure.

Amd, I would not be a bit surprised if Hillary is offered a rather prominent post in a McCain-Palin administration. She has absolutely no problems with McCain - in fact they both hace been very cordial to each other even before the campaign - there is a mutual respect between the two. And, Hillary had said during her campaign that McCain was an excellent candidate to become Commander in Chief (this prior to Obama winning the nomination in the primaries).

It will certainly be interesting to watch Hillary and President Clinton in the next few weeks!!

And now we learn that on his visit to Iraq
Hussein Obama pressed to DELAY US TROOP WITHDRAWALS!
Let's repeat that:
OBAMA PRESSED TO DELAY US TROOP WITHDRAWALS!
Once again we have Hussein putting his political and idealogical agenda ahead of our country and citizens.
Note I didn't say HIS country...
Hussein Obama has repeatedly proven that he shares the feelings of
G*d D*mn America! Jeremiah Wright
and his
Never Been Proud of America Shaniqua
and
Bomb Throwing Terrorist Bill Ayres
and now wants to keep American troops in harm's way
TO BENEFIT HIS CAMPAIGN!

In Spanish it is called, sin verquenza, without shame. This is what someone who can tell bold and obvious lies directly to your face without blinking is called. Everyone knows they are lying, but their boldness is disconcerting and makes one doubt themselves. They are masters at ripping an opponent apart on trivial, personal matters, but squealing like stuck pigs when valid, cogent criticism is directed at them and their lies are uncovered. They are vile purveyors of filth, but act like innocent victims when they experience a taste of their own venom. One can only conclude from the evidence that Democrats have a sense of guilt, while Republicans do not, i.e., they are sin verquenzas (shameless). Do we really want four more mores of this tawdry leadership from the masters of deceit--the economic fundamentals are sound?

Well put.....I want to see her on Meet the Press and Face the Nation but that is just not going to happen. The McCain camp knows she can't withstand the scrutiny so they will keep her sequestered as long as they can. I could not believe that she repeated that line about seeing Russia from Alaska - it was bad enough when Cindy McCain said it, then John repeated it and now she says it. I just keep thinking about all those poor diplomats around the world who must be kicking themselves for going to school and working hard to develop the important skills of diplomacy when all they needed to do was to go to that remote island in Alaska and look across at Russia. Done - you are now an expert in foreign policy (and they wouldn't have all those school loans!) Oh, and by the way, when are we going to find out about her college experience - 6 schools in five years to get a degree -hmmmmm - what is that about?

What's dangerous is that the McCain camp is desperately tryin got build her up and shield her at the same time (with a helping hand from the media it seems). If this woman is qualified and ready to be VP (as she says), then why not let her face the scrutiny that comes from running for the No. 2 spot in the land? What is there to hide? I have the feeling that she is the ultimate Manchurian Candidate. I know people tried to slap the label on Obama and claim you couldn't ask him harsh questions because of his race (which obviously hasn't been the case), but Palin's gender has somewhat shielded her in a way Obama's race could not.

Neoconservatives whose influence had been waning in Washington have hitched their colours to rising star Sarah Palin in a bid to shape US foreign policy for another decade.

Sources in the McCain camp, the Republican Party and Washington think tanks say Mrs Palin was identified as a potential future leader of the neoconservative cause in June 2007. That was when the annual summer cruise organised by the right-of-centre Weekly Standard magazine docked in Juneau, the Alaskan state capital, and the pundits on board took tea with Governor Palin.

Hey, I liked Gov. Palin's answer about Russia, because it made me realize that I have even more foreign policy experience than she does! You see, I grew up in Pennsylvania -- did you know that PA borders on Canada via Lake Erie? And there's an island there which, if you went high enough on that island, I'm sure you could see Canada. Even though my home is hundreds of miles from that island, I was close to that island once and saw it, which I bet is more than Palin can say about the Alaskan island she's talking about -- I bet she's never even been within 100 miles of that island.

So, you think I can be selected as VP nominee next time around based on my superior foreign policy experience? I know -- it's close -- but I think I've got the edge on her. I'm sure that any self-respecting independent voter will give the me the same level of consideration that she deserves. Not enough lipstick or pit bull, you say? But I've visited a couple of Mexican border towns too, so I'm all over NAFTA. Does that help?

NoObama states:
"if Sarah is not qualfied then OBAMA is definitely NOT qualified since he got less experience than Sarah. Even Joe Biden said so that Obama is not qualified and presidence is not on-the-job training.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDVUPqoowf8"

Now we switch the argument back to one of qualification and experience. First of all, there is a difference between qualification and experience. Qualification is based on the requirements of the U.S. Constitution. There is no doubt that all four conadidates, with the possible exception of McCain, are qualified. McCain's problem is that he was not born in a state. The Democrats have been gracious to conceed that McCain is a U.S. citizen born on U.S. territory, even if it was in the Panama Canal Zone.

The spectra of experience is all in the eye of the beholder. At this point and with what we are learning, Palin's experience is being diminished each and every day. However, she is an accomplished liar. McCain is also proving his skills as a lair.

With or without experience, Obama has set the theme and the issues for this campaign. The Repubs have embraced the theme but have set an agenda of deceit.

Obama's expertise has definitely been felt. His extraordinary vision for this country has subjected him to much ridicule by those who lack vision and integrity.

I accept Obama's integrity and intelligence, which will trump "experience" any day.
The forefathers were long on vision and articulation, but very short on experience. Think about this.

There is a difference here. With Hillary, she actually used her trip experience to Bosnia in one of her speeches, with Palin this rumor never came from her. Actually, in her interview with ABC she mentioned her trip to Kuwait but never referred to Iraq.
As for those who write that she cannot base her foreign experience to advisers how can them we give a pass to Obama who has plenty of advisers and even with that help we have plenty of gaffes to refer to?

I think that the McCain policy of not letting Palin speak unless they can guarantee the outcome with scripted content, transcends even the Rove doctrine, it is a policy that would make Joseph Goebbeles proud.

There seems to be a real double standard here when it comes to Democratic and Republican preseidential candidates. GOP candidates are pretty much expected to simply show up and they get a pass. As long as Bush arrived on time for his debates with Gore or Kerry, and didn't drool all over his shirt, he was given a more than passing grade. We are seeing the same this season with Gov. Palin. Any tough questioning and she automatically becomes the victim of sexist campaign against the GOP. It's sad, but it really seems that ignorance has become some kind of a "Core Value" for the GOP. Anyone who is knowledgable about policy and has real world experience is suspect. Too smart, too pointy-headed. By extension, to liberal. "Real people", from the GOP perspective, are just like you and me, they don't know too much and they don't care what they don't know.

SNL said it best....the media needs to grow a pair. Expose Palin for who/what she really is.

I have to hand it to Palin for EFFECTIVELY getting the media off her heels when she delivered her first speech. But come on, expose her! She clearly knows nothing about domestic or foreign policy. Sure she's running for VP, and normally who cares, but McCain's age and health make her capabilities that much more important.

Posted by: A Woman focused on the issues and not gender.... | September 15, 2008 10:26 AM
| Report abuse

Finally....The truth about Palin and the McCain campaign is coming to light....For all the women 'suddenly' influenced by Palin....Don't be Foolish....This is what they want us to do..To panic, be afraid, be impressed by'untruths'...America is in distress...Take color and gender out of the equation and do what is right for your families!

The article is about Palin not Obama. Why Quote: "do you bring up Obama's credentials every single time there is a critism of Palin. Comparing Palin to Obama is not going to make Palin's lack of knowledge, experience and wisdom go away."

Posted by: Bebesgal | September 15, 2008 10:17 AM

Reply to Bebesgal:

Sorry - it does not work that way, dear!
Of course, we are going to bring Obama up -after all, "the gloves did not really come really off", when it comes to the treatment of his "Highness" by the media!

Clinton got more scrutiny than Barack Obama - that is a fact! Now all of a sudden, the media is interested in "experience"! I guess Mr. Celebrity in their minds was more experienced than Clinton? Give a break, really!

Palin is now attacked on experience, while Obama has enjoyed a "free ride" by the media! And, this after the scrutiny of Hillary Clinton! This is insane, indeed!

I really hope the Washingtonpost and other MSM will apologize because according to newly released report by Council for Citizens Against Government Waste, Sarah Palin did kill the Bridge to Nowhere....

Posted by: nbercasio

------------------------------------------

Of course she did, there isn't really a dispute about that point, but she did it only AFTER the federal funding was withdrawn and the state would have had to pay the whole cost. THAT's why she "killed it". It had nothing to do with rejecting earmarks and that is where her self aggrandizing, fact twisting comes into play. She misrepresents everything she claims to have done. She prefers to try and distort with semantic trickery rather than stating the facts clearly for political purposes. Yup, someone I want in the VP office. Wait, don't we already have that? Oh yeah, Cheney. Palin-McCain, more of the same.

She may be from Alaska, but she plays the D.C. game rather well I would say. So who is she going to reform? She might begin with herself.

This is a sad state of affairs. No one seems interested in facts or the truth anymore. Both sides are gleefully and vigorously twisting the facts to fit their particular world view. No one is interested in compromise, no one is courageous or mature enough to examine each and every flaw of their own candidate, without grossly exaggerating their strengths. None of these candidates should be "left alone" - every single one must be scrutinized, criticized, and vetted, no exceptions. But it has become simply impossible to do so without being accused of being left-leaning or right-leaning. BEWARE: CAMPAIGNING IN PROGRESS - NO TRUTH OR CRITICISM ALLOWED.

And one more thing: I don't care how anyone feels about Barack Obama, but to call him "Obama bin Biden", is completely out of bounds. The attempt to associate or compare a duly-elected US Senator to Osama bin Laden, is despicable on so many levels. Osama bin Laden is responsible for the deaths of over 3,000 Americans on US soil. His actions plunged our country into war and he wants to kill as many Americans as he possibly can. But I guess it's OK to trivialize those facts to fit one's political beliefs. Absolutely disgusting and shameful.

Thank you for exposing the GOP's constant double standard. They have never been able to take it, but seem all too eager to dish it out.

As long as we're talking about double standards, I must once again take exception to the accusations pointed by right-wing apologists comparing Palin to Obama. Apples to apples, please. Compare McCain to Obama (and Barr) and Palin to Biden (and Root).

I keep thinking back to all that noise by the media re: Hilary Clinton's trip to Bosnia and how incensed the Republican playbook was about the lie of being under attack on the tarmac. And yet, Sarah Palin's "handlers" now are lying about her travels outside her fairy land and the media can't seem to find the same motivation to cover that. I can't find an answer to that question except for one: its not been an issue because Mr. Obama sees that it is NOT an issue that matters to anybody but the GOP and has moved on. The GOP however, likes to act like bullies in the schoolyard every step of the way. I still have nightmares reliving Rudy's foaming at the mouth keynote address at their convention. He had the entire place all "frothed" up and ready to kill...their fellow Americans.

There was a separate earmark for the Gravina Access Highway - a 3 mile road leading to and joining the Bridge-to-Nowhere. The earmark required that the money be used for that highway or returned to the federal government.

The Gravina Access Highway is under construction. Since there isn’t a bridge to join to, it ends at an empty beach.

There wasn't any "thanks but no-thanks" - the would have had to be returned to the federal government.

On the bridge, there were 2 bridges in that original earmark. The other one is the Knik Arm Bridge. That one is going forward.

Congress amended the earmark on the briges in Nov 2005. They removed the designation that the money was for the bridges and still gave the money to Alaska. It was open-ened. Alaska could spend the money in any way they chose. Alaska continued to spend it on the bridges.

Congress and Alaska pulled a fast one - the controversy went away because we thought the brige-to-nowhere was dead but it was very much alive in Alaska.

This is how Palin was able to keep the money.

But who was she saying "no thanks" to since the earmark was amended in 2005 and she was elected in 2007.

There's some interesting language in her press release.

"Despite the work of our congressional delegation, we are about $329 million short of full funding for the bridge project, and it’s clear that Congress has little interest in spending any more money on a bridge between Ketchikan and Gravina Island," Governor Palin added. "Much of the public’s attitude toward Alaska bridges is based on inaccurate portrayals of the projects here. But we need to focus on what we can do, rather than fight over what has happened."

"Thanks but no thanks" is nothing but a good soundbite. Alaska didn't even want to building part of that bridge themselves.

They are NOT going to question their "Chosen One" - God's Gift to America"!!

Quote: Jake Lewis wrote: "I don't recall Mrs. Brown asking the same tough questions regarding Obama's lack of foreign policy experience, his drug use, his ties to domestic terrorists, to explain how he purchased a $1.5 million home (yea...middle class) on a state legislature's salary, his refusal to vote ya or na while serving in the state legislature, or why in his 3 1/2 years as a senator he has not sponsored one important piece of legislation? Oh! I understand now...he speaks well."

Posted by: Jake Lewis | September 04, 2008 at 01:43 PM

BINGO!!

Dear Jake Lewis, you hit the nail on the head! But Ms. Campbell Brown and Jon Clown - as in Jon Klein - President of CNN - have been listening apparently to Nancy Pelosi.....they are NOT going to question their "Chosen One" - "God's Gift to America", as Nancy Pelosi refers to Obama!

Can you imagine if Senator McCain had said that Sarah Palin was "God's gift to America"? They would be reminding him about the separation of Church and State!...

Gov. Palin may be a fine person and "hockey mom" and all that but she is not ready repeat not ready to be Vice-President. I realize it may be good politics for her to wear her ignorance on her sleeve but it is not good for our Nation. The Bush Administration, as we watch our financial system melt down and millions more of retirement account holdings disappear, has been a long and ugly train wreck. We simply cannot endure more of that and that is what Gov. Palin and Sen. McCain most distinctly offer. Please.

Will she get the same scrutiny Hillary got? Are you real? Every network is all Palin all of the time. The real question, eej, is will Obama get any scrutiny without declaring in a stern tone that "it is off limits" (unless of course, he wishes to sping it in his words). Quit whining.

The article written by Mr.Dionne was excellent and he further exposes the the lies that he and Charlie Gibson have uncovered that she no experience in foreign policy nor does she have the experience to be second in command. These lies need to be exploited by the Democrats to she that with mccain being out of touch with reality and palin who is grossly inexperienced and who has to right to be even considered would be a fiasco for this country. The destructions that this administration had heaped onto this country is disgusting and criminal.This country being run by hack neocons and conservatives who are touch with reality is to scary to contemplate just look at what is going on today and its proof positive that a change to the Democrats are highly desirable. Further its amazining that the this administration and with the secretary of treaury has told the bastens of wall street who are ardent republicans were told Lehman Bros and the other financial institutions to literally DROP DEAD. Its very interesting.

ABC is biased. Palin ABSOLUTELY is fair game and needs to answer these questions. It is terrifying to think that she could become OUR President if something were to happen to McCain. I can no longer vote for McCain since he chose her. I need to ensure this country takes the right direction. I am a female and I am not voting simply based on gender. Did he think all women would simply flock to her?? Unless Palin can answer the questions Hillary faced I cannot support the McCain/Palin ticket.

Its funny how far to the right the "Left-leaning" media goes to protect themselves from being 'bashed' by the 'conservative' right.
I just can't help but be reminded of the 2000 Republican primaries when a no-nothing from Texas, skated through the primaries and was never called on anything.

Good job, EJ. I think the tide is turning. People were infatuated with a new, attractive candidate suddenly appearing on the stage. Her talking points are wearing thin, however, and proving untrue. As the truth filters out to the American people, they will become disillusioned with McCain and his poor choice for Vice President. Putting Sarah Palin in position to be our President was shockingly irresponsible and disqualifies him to the hold the office himself.

Back to the question that the article asks, NO, Palin will not get the scrutiny that Hillary got. As long as the Republicans protect their candidate, continue to issue lies, and blast the MSM, there will be only token scrutiny.

Once again if you would put forth the same effort to disgrace Obama. I could actually stomach this trash. But since King Obama can do no wrong I must live with this porr excuse for writing. Oh..sorry it is not KING OBAMA. It is Obama the second coming!!!!!!!

So now if you ask any questions at all about Sarah Palin's experience, it's sexism.

Want to know what sexism really is? It's selecting someone who does not have the experience for a job based on their looks or extraneous details. And of that, John McCain is guilty.

With Wall Street in meltdown mode today, ask yourself this: who has the smarts to understand the situation and to know who to call in for advising. When McCain has just been blasted by Greenspan, is that your choice? Or do you want the guy who has been endorsed by Volker?

The Sarah Palin selection proves one thing: McCain thinks so little of the challenges we face as a nation that he thinks absolutely anyone can lead this complex nation. McCain is wrong and his judgement stinks. He scares me.

Quote: "I am so sorry that you had to give up your values just because your Gal lost. I would have supported either person for President. This reaction and the reaction posted on the mentioned website are childish. Please regain your integrity. ...That is if you truly are a Hillary supporter."

Posted by: Anonymous | September 15, 2008 8:57 AM

I did not say that I was personally a Hillary Clinton supporter. However, I do have many friends that were supporting Hillary, who will vote for McCain-Palin! They supported Hillary madame - not Obama! As far as they are concerned they like what they see in Palin and McCain more than what they see in Obama Bin Biden!

But even if I was a former Hillary supporter - I would not consider that I was losing my integrity by voting for a better person on the other side! Your argument is rediculous since I did not say anywhere that Hillary supporters were going to vote for McCain-Palin because they were just angry (although they are). They are feeling is that they do not owe anything to Obama - neither the Clintons owe anything to Obama. He made his bed by not picking Hillary as his VP - let him sleep in it now!

3 out of 4 friends of mine - former Hillary supporters - have decided to vote for McCain-Palin! The 4th says she is not sure yet, she would rather stay home on election day than voting for "Obama bin Biden"!

******************

Sorry my bad that you weren't a Hillary supporter.

I do however stand by my statement, that people that vote for McCain/Palin because Palin is on the ticket, and who once supported Hillary are going against their values. Therefore my statement is not ridiculous. So maybe you could pass this idea on to your friends.

I am talking about values. Palin's values are are in direct contrast to McCain/Palin. I read some of those posts from the website, and those people are mad that Obama did not pick Hillary. So to go for the ticket that is opposite of a belief system that would support voting for Hillary is just incredibly stupid.

I can't believe the American public is not insulted at the choice of Sarah Palin. This woman who will invade a country even if they don't want us in the country. A woman who doesn't know what the Bush doctrine is. A woman who doesn't even know what her children are doing. What a joke, and a pathetic statement about women. At least Hillary had some class and knowledge about government.

The problem with McCain and Palin is this pattern of lying, which seems to be getting worst day by day. We have had eight years of an administration that lied, and not only lied, but did it with an attitude of righteous. Thus, we have the mess our country is in.

What Palin actually said in the Gibson interview on Russia, the great majority of which was edited out for television for reasons know only to ABC:

\\GIBSON: Let’s start, because we are near Russia, let’s start with Russia and Georgia.

The administration has said we’ve got to maintain the territorial integrity of Georgia. Do you believe the United States should try to restore Georgian sovereignty over South Ossetia and Abkhazia?

PALIN: First off, we’re going to continue good relations with Saakashvili there. I was able to speak with him the other day and giving him my commitment, as John McCain’s running mate, that we will be committed to Georgia. And we’ve got to keep an eye on Russia. For Russia to have exerted such pressure in terms of invading a smaller democratic country, unprovoked, is unacceptable and we have to keep…

GIBSON: You believe unprovoked.

PALIN: I do believe unprovoked and we have got to keep our eyes on Russia, under the leadership there. I think it was unfortunate. That manifestation that we saw with that invasion of Georgia shows us some steps backwards that Russia has recently taken away from the race toward a more democratic nation with democratic ideals. That’s why we have to keep an eye on Russia.

And, Charlie, you’re in Alaska. We have that very narrow maritime border between the United States, and the 49th state, Alaska, and Russia. They are our next door neighbors.We need to have a good relationship with them. They’re very, very important to us and they are our next door neighbor.

GIBSON: What insight into Russian actions, particularly in the last couple of weeks, does the proximity of the state give you?

PALIN: They’re our next door neighbors and you can actually see Russia from land here in Alaska, from an island in Alaska.

GIBSON: What insight does that give you into what they’re doing in Georgia?

PALIN: Well, I’m giving you that perspective of how small our world is and how important it is that we work with our allies to keep good relation with all of these countries, especially Russia. We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it’s in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be getting along.

Sarah Palin on Russia:

We cannot repeat the Cold War. We are thankful that, under Reagan, we won the Cold War, without a shot fired, also. We’ve learned lessons from that in our relationship with Russia, previously the Soviet Union.

We will not repeat a Cold War. We must have good relationship with our allies, pressuring, also, helping us to remind Russia that it’s in their benefit, also, a mutually beneficial relationship for us all to be getting along.

GIBSON: Would you favor putting Georgia and Ukraine in NATO?

PALIN: Ukraine, definitely, yes. Yes, and Georgia.

GIBSON: Because Putin has said he would not tolerate NATO incursion into the Caucasus.

PALIN: Well, you know, the Rose Revolution, the Orange Revolution, those actions have showed us that those democratic nations, I believe, deserve to be in NATO.

Putin thinks otherwise. Obviously, he thinks otherwise, but…

GIBSON: And under the NATO treaty, wouldn’t we then have to go to war if Russia went into Georgia?

PALIN: Perhaps so. I mean, that is the agreement when you are a NATO ally, is if another country is attacked, you’re going to be expected to be called upon and help.

But NATO, I think, should include Ukraine, definitely, at this point and I think that we need to — especially with new leadership coming in on January 20, being sworn on, on either ticket, we have got to make sure that we strengthen our allies, our ties with each one of those NATO members.

We have got to make sure that that is the group that can be counted upon to defend one another in a very dangerous world today.

GIBSON: And you think it would be worth it to the United States, Georgia is worth it to the United States to go to war if Russia were to invade.

PALIN: What I think is that smaller democratic countries that are invaded by a larger power is something for us to be vigilant against. We have got to be cognizant of what the consequences are if a larger power is able to take over smaller democratic countries.

And we have got to be vigilant. We have got to show the support, in this case, for Georgia. The support that we can show is economic sanctions perhaps against Russia, if this is what it leads to.

It doesn’t have to lead to war and it doesn’t have to lead, as I said, to a Cold War, but economic sanctions, diplomatic pressure, again, counting on our allies to help us do that in this mission of keeping our eye on Russia and Putin and some of his desire to control and to control much more than smaller democratic countries.

His mission, if it is to control energy supplies, also, coming from and through Russia, that’s a dangerous position for our world to be in, if we were to allow that to happen.//

The tactic of repeating a lie over and over is as old as the history of man. If repeated enough most people will believe it to be the truth. Our democracy is fragile and requires constant vigilance against those who would corrupt it for their own gain and ideology. If history has taught us anything it is that vigilance is all that stands between our freedom and those who would subvert it. The last eight years have been littered with lie after lie and the erosion of our freedom. As a nation we must demand the truth at all costs, even if it hurts.
Wake up America your future depends on it.

Republicans must hate America. Why else would they cheer when their party nominates an intellectually handicapped, congenitally lying, politically corrupt, governor a welfare state to be President-Next?

I keep thinking back to all that noise by the media re: Hilary Clinton's trip to Bosnia and how incensed the Republican playbook was about the lie of being under attack on the tarmac. And yet, Sarah Palin's "handlers" now are lying about her travels outside her fairy land and the media can't seem to find the same motivation to cover that. I can't find an answer to that question except for one: its not been an issue because Mr. Obama sees that it is NOT an issue that matters to anybody but the GOP and has moved on. The GOP however, likes to act like bullies in the schoolyard every step of the way. I still have nightmares reliving Rudy's foaming at the mouth keynote address at their convention. He had the entire place all "frothed" up and ready to kill...their fellow Americans.

Posted by: CGJoyce | September 15, 2008 10:35 AM

----------------

It was the Obama camp that made a fuss about Hillary's comments concerning Bosnia. She was running against Obama in the primaries, not against the Republican candidates in their primaries.

For "musing" - Nixon had many advisors who had been in China during WWII and had a number of backdoor contacts with the Regime. Nixon himself was known as a student of the recent history of China and was said to be personally in contact with persons in the regime. Has Ms. Palin even read a book on Iraq, Kuwait or how these countries were formed from a diverse group of Tribes and nationalties? I truly doubt it.

There are two islands in the Bering Staight - Big Diomede and Little Diomede. The big island is Russian and the small one American. They are 1.5 miles from each other. Interestingly, the International Date Line separates the two, so there is a time difference of 23 hours between the two. Yes, you can see Russia from Alaska.

On the subject of presidential advisors. My commanding officer at the Corps of Engineers once told me that the first step to training a dog was to be smarter than the dog. Unless your Commander in Chief is smart enough to know **** from shinola, all the smartguy advisors in the world won't be of any real help.

One of the Palin comments that piqued my interest was here statment that there were probably many VP candidates who had not met a foreign leader prior to their nomination. The only VP since WWII that I could find for which this might be true is Spiro Agnew. I am not a journalist nor a historian. So, I would really like to see some professional investigation into this allegation. What if any VP candidates in history has this been true? Is anyone at WP willing to take this on?

Of course Obama is the one who is worried about the rights of the terrorists in Guatanamo Bay!

As Palin put it mildly, "he is more worried about first reading to terrorists, who want ot destroy America, their... rights" !!

Sir, I am using the term metapgorically - it is my understanding that "bin" means "of"?!

In other words, "Obama of Biden" !!

It is not just the Democrats that have the rught to attack where it "hurts", eh?

And, by the way what did Obama do on 9/11? He had agreed with McCain not to talk politics, in order to honor the victims of the tragic terrorist attacks against our country. What did Obama do? After all these months that he had turned his back on President Clinton being as arrogant as he could be, he decided on that veru sacred day to have lunch with Bill Clinton!
He knew that the whole enire country and the wold were watching! He did not "talk politics" and he did not "campaign" of course in the eyes of thwe naive! Well, his meeting - having lunch with President Clinton on September 11th (after 20+ months of arroagant ans insulting behavior-Mr. Obama in fact did not speak words of "politics". His actions did! Perhaps he thinks that we Ameicans are stupid - not to realize that was in fact a political/campaing move!!

Hypocricy and arroagance at its zenith!!

He should have used his judgement better here to respect that day - as he had promised! Btw, where was Michelle Obama? Why she did not joined her husband and Senator McCain and his wife Cindy at Ground Zero? She stayed home with the girls as a good mother? And please, do not tell me that she could find a babysitter - after all she has been telling us that her mother has been helping her with the kids during the campaign. Amazing, how Michelle Obama missed the Memorial Ceremony at Ground Zero!

And the media barely brought it up. Wolf Blitzer mentioned it once and that was about it! CNN zipped their mouths about this - respecting Obama's wish "family memners are off limits". At the same time the CNN liberal clowns have been attacking Palin's private and public life non-stop with the excuse that "she, her daughter, her newborn, etc. are mow public figures and that she should expect this from the media! The exception to the rules apply to Michelle Obama and his family!

This all leaves you wondering, what ever happened to the moderates in this country. There used to be a rather substantial number of them. Now they seem to have vanished and as difficult to find as something which is not made in China.

It doesn't help the discourse when we have paid posters Neo-Conjob and left wingers posting comments they copy and paste from prepared "facts". So much for the democracy of the web, it can be manipulated rather easily actually.

There is nothing wrong with wanting to find out the truth about Palin or any other candidate. The Palin-McCain campaign manufactured this situation and I suspect they see it as being to their benefit. If you ask a question, if you want clarification, you are a sexist, elitist eastern liberal. Ok, so then what are you when you question Hillary? What about all of the mud Obama has been dragged through for a year and a half? None of that counts?

Even McCain has gotten off rather light. He's flip-flopped or remained silent on several key issues which he opposed and now either claims to directly or tacitly support. Like for instance, the Bush tax cuts, use of torture, off shore drilling, etc.

I don't want the Main Stream Media (MSM) to lighten up on Palin, nor on anyone else. I want them to try and dig for the truth as best they can, that is their job in a democracy and the only recourse the average citizen has to get answers. Fascists of course believe differently.

As for reporters being biased? Well that has been true ever since the first reporter. Some blatantly so, some actually strive for balance and fairness. That my fellow citizens, is where you have to use your intelligence and intuition to analyze and filter what is said. Do you just want someone to validate your opinions or beliefs or do you want to find the truth?

Reading some of the threads indicate a number of critical issues relevant to Palin.

The "family" issue is one; that how can she manage potentially a nation when Palin seems to have difficulty managing her family; that, some say the Down syndrome child is actually the daughter's child and that the time lines have been modified to hide the true facts.

The issue of basic understanding of economics and foreign policy based on historical milestones in US history.

If a basketball star from high school in a town of only 5200 back then; a major with little involvement except the ice rink proposed under a referundum and a governorhship of 20 months that paid back every living person in Alaska some 2000 dollars or more...then this is the person for you.

I dare say Ms. Palin even comes close to the line when considering the big picture and the stakes at hand today.

You allare seriously upset that a GOVERNOR has little foreign relations dealings? That is stupid. Palin is not the front-runner, so why is she under such harsh scrutiny? Obama is a State Senator. Oh yeah, I'm sure some huge International politics seeps into there...your argument is ridiculous. Also note thatall of your stupid examples were of people running for president, not add ons in the vice position. No wonder they were heavier scrutinized.
Grow up and get a real argument.

The LA Times carried a story during the RNC that was all but buried in the hoopla. Senator John McCain criticized at least three Wassila projects that Mayor Sarah Palin wanted - including an emergency communications system the town didn't want and that causes confusion - so you've got to wonder what cronies of Palin benefit from these unnecessary projects.

She was defending earmarks at the very same time McCain was denouncing them: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-na-earmarks3-2008sep03,0,284198.story

I suggest you read the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution. Do you understand what due process is? This is what Obama was talking about. You show your ignorance in your statements and quotes. If you don't defend the rights of everyone, then we all lose. All you need to do is look at Nazi Germany, the Stalinist Soviet Union, Iran, et al to understand the concept.

I would be quite happy to leave the selection of the President & Vice President to an IQ and Current Events tests of the major party candidates. The smartest candidates win. I think that this would have been a good test for all the Presidential elections of the last 25 yrs (or more) and would have given us a better selection of leaders than the general elections have done.

The Palin case illustrates this one fundamental fact: The US is made up mostly of dummies who look at politics as if it were American Idol or some other equally inane piece of so-called entertainment. Consequently, they make important decision having deliberated the equivalent of deciding what to order at MacDonald's. Underscoring all of this is the media's complicity in fostering a culture of stupidity. The rest of the world is alternating between shaking their heads in disbelief, and laughing. This is what the nation of Jefferson, Adams and Lincoln has become - a laughinstock, and soon to be a former great nation and beacon of hope for the rest of the world.

Thanks to all the politicians past and current who have led us down this path to ruin.

There is no comparison between Hillary's claim that she was under sniper fire and Palin's comment that she "visited" Ireland and Iraq.

How could you misremember being under sniper fire? Either you were or you weren't -- and either way, you would remember it the rest of your life. Have you every been shot at by a gun? If so, you would remember it, and if not, you would remember it. And if you ever claimed otherwise than what really happened, it would be an active lie, not a mistake, since the event would be so seared into the memory.

A visit to Ireland? Well, Palin *did* visit Ireland, just not for the length of time that Mr. Cohen thinks is appropriate. That is, Palin didn't lie about Ireland.

A visit to Iraq? If she didn't visit it, she came within a few feet. Should we cart out the legal descriptions to the border of Kuwait and Iraq to make sure we know who is right or who is wrong?

Maybe Palin crossed the boundary line between Iraq and Kuwait, and maybe she didn't. But don't compare the accuracy of that statement to the wholesale lie by Hillary when she claimed people were shooting guns at her.

A campaign that lies, and has a candidate that has barely left the country, repeats sound bites when asked tough questions, and surrounds itselft with friendly audiences .... that sounds like Bush/Cheney 2000 and 20004. But who cares, all that matters is that Palin is anti-choice, anti-equality for gays, anti-sex education. The radical right has a narrow (and dangerous) litmus test.

Sarah Palin's experience in international affairs is that Russia is visible from a point in Alaska. Does she read Russian newspapers? Does she listen to Russian radio? Does she watch Russian TV? Do Russians come into Alaska to shop? Do Alaskans mingle with Russians at the border? Exactly what has Sarah Palin learned about Russia?

Right on, Mr. Dionne!
Tragically, the easy acceptance of Sara Palin and the roughshod treatment of Hillary Clinton says several things to me:
1. At least half the population is a gullible lot, due to its overt anti-intellectualism. They vote on externals and cheap slogans a good deal of the time. Folks from the red states (dare I use that term?) aren't those who, on the whole, skim the Washingtonpost or the New York Times opinion pages. Those pages, full of complex sentences, contain too much hard truth, well researched.
2. Many white collar males favor women who aren't as smart as they are, Dems and Reps alike.
3. Simplistic thinking is the hallmark of Republicans, and some of that "thinking" is falsehood and generalizations that need to be refuted. Unfortunately, the press publishes it.
4. The TV media has done a very poor job in aiding the public to see the truth, preferring instead, one liners and headliners online that tittilate and help to create confusion. Yes, I know, the American public lacks the attention span required to listen to investigative reporting.

No wonder USA got the lowest score in Geography around the world. Learn your Geography Charles...

Of course you can see Russia from Alaska. There are two islands in the Bering Staight - Big Diomede and Little Diomede. The big island is Russian and the small one American. They are 1.5 miles from each other. Interestingly, the International Date Line separates the two, so there is a time difference of 23 hours between the two.

There are two islands in the Bering Staight - Big Diomede and Little Diomede. The big island is Russian and the small one American. They are 1.5 miles from each other. Interestingly, the International Date Line separates the two, so there is a time difference of 23 hours between the two. Yes, you can see Russia from Alaska.

Posted by: NoOBAMA | September 15, 2008 11:04 AM

Ahaha...ha!!

I posted a comment earlier about the left-wing-liberals, who are commenting here and elsewhere, on Palin's foreign policy credentials - can not even find Russia or Georgia on the map (I bet many think that the borders are the same as those of the former Soviet Union!!)

Now- we are finding something even more interesting...They critique Palin's interview and foreign policy experience - yet they do not even know how close to Russia Alaska is! That is exactly why they can not understand Palin's answer (little that they know - Palin knows a heck of all more than them ignorants - when it comes to the National Security arrangements- comtigencies in that state... (they are called "top secrets" and despite someone's naive comment earlier thay this is at the Federal level only - I bet Sarah Palin as the Governor od a State which lays 1.5 miles from Russia is ON THE LOOP! To believe otherwise would be the same as the Governor of Lousisiana not bein in the loop when Federal help arrives to help in the hurricane season!!!

Get real left wing liberals - Palin can do dances around all of you, the media, and Obama and that is why you are in a state of persistent panic attacks!

Ekhmmmm, let's not forget now - Obama is the one running for President - not Palin!

Go scrutinize Obama for a change - let the media gloves come off just to see how much we can hear about Obama's "superficial vetting" process...sorry his "free ride" by the media, I meant to say!

I agree Palin scares me too. I would NEVER want to see her at the helm. McCain is no spring chicken. That lady is not right for the job. We don't need another Bush administration. Our economy is in shambles. Palin go back home and take care of your family.

Palin is AMAZING!
Finallty a real person who understands real life.
She's got my vote.
Contrast to Obama..
He preaches "change" but in all of his years has NO RESULTS of change Why would we believe his false promises anyway.

"I bet Sarah Palin as the Governor od a State which lays 1.5 miles from Russia is ON THE LOOP! To believe otherwise would be the same as the Governor of Lousisiana not bein in the loop when Federal help arrives to help in the hurricane season!!!"

-------------------------------------------

Can you say Katrina?

You speculate and offer no proof Palin every went to the island to see Russia and contemplate foreign policy, nor that she ever received special information just because of the proximity of Alaska to Russia. The federal government is the ones responsible for the boarders of the US, not the state.

The left-wingers - Obama campaign and the media made a serious mistake on attacking Palin on "experience". This has backfired drawing more attention to Obama's own lack of eperience to become Commander in Chief! The polls may not tell the whole truth but they are in fact telling something about Obama's wrong move to attack Palin (via the media and the Internet) on her "experience". It does not take a rocket scientist to figure it out...even all analysts had said tha tthe "experience" card was going to come off the table by both sides!!

Well,m the left wingers are still at it...no problem - it obviously helps McCain more thn it helps Obama. At least, that what recent polls were have been telling us.

Bother me about her family. Her marriage is a shot gun marriage, just like her
daughter's.

They lounged around in Alaaskan money, unethical at least, worst at most, at home, on vacations and little treks.

She is amajor liar, eithershe or someone at the campang gets in the pathological
strain, or at least absolutely oblivious to anytone's right to know or intelligence.

And you want to tip toe around this hustler? Trash off the street.

And some have begun to wonder whether her pick was so unplanned? The jewish neocions wanted someone to replace Lieberman when he was cut out of the
race. Maybe the neocons had her in mind all the time.

You know how little they want to give up control of the republican administration.

I wish it were as simple as that, hoping that media and the voting public will seek balance in the news. Unfortunately, when you see people cheering hysterically for a vice preisidential candidate who lists as one of her qualifications, leadership in the PTA. All the while, John McCain has now gone from hero to treasonable political hack with his selection of someone he didn't know but chose because she was a woman. It wasn't her experience that moved him, it was his desperation, he was disliked by his base then and is now. McCain is not the lead member of that pair, she is, and God help us if she wins.

Does Palin still believe that Dinosaurs were left off the ark and Moses was the original owner of Dino from the Flintstones?
______

Heck I'd be happy to learn if Obama believes our government created the HIV virus to kill off Black people.. something his mentor and friend Rev Wright preached to him in the church he went to for twenty years!!!

Bristol is not pregant, and will "conveniently" and alledgedly miscarry after the election. What a rude awakening that will be for many if they vote for McCain, and McBush and Cheney II win! Even the extreme right will entertain suspiscions that they've been had... nahhh... they a wouldn't supsect a thing, come to think of it.

3 out of 4 friends of mine - former Hillary supporters - have decided to vote for McCain-Palin! The 4th says she is not sure yet, she would rather stay home on election day than voting for "Obama bin Biden"!
-------------------------------------------
"Obama bin Biden", huh? People like you make me sick.

How can anyone who was a supporter of Clinton even think for a moment of supporting Palin? Because she has a vagina? Please. The fact that they are both female is the only thing they have in common. Let's look beyond gender, race, age and look at what the candidates support and believe in and what they'll do to get this country back where it belongs.

A sign of a good leader is one who not only recognizes his/her strengths, but also their weaknesses. No one person can know everything about everything. Obama recognized that a weakness of his was lack of experience in the area of foreign affairs, so he chose a running mate with that strength - Biden.

McCain chose Palin for one reason--because she is a woman. The McCain campaign thinks that women are so stupid that they'll automatically vote for a woman no matter what or where they stand on the issues. Palin is so ambitious that she agreed to it "without blinking". She is only permitted to give the same canned speech over and over citing the same falsities that have been proven incorrect. Then she hides behind the campaign and allows smear ads to run saying that the Obama campaign called her "good looking" and she's "doing what she's told" (which even KARL ROVE has come out to say was going over the line!) and is playing the poor, put upon, little girl. She's an embarassment to my gender. Rest assured, the honeymoon will soon be over.

Somehow the distrust of gov't in the black community scares me less than the absolute obedience of the freaky deeky Pentecostals.

hmmmmmm disregard science because it doesn't exactly line up with the written word of power mad religious men from 2000 years ago....or let an ongoing history of repression and deliberate neglect allow their imaginations to go a bit overboard?

I don't think the gov't created HIV, but Regan did a damn good job of ignoring the problem because he thought it only affected population subsets that he wasn't too fond of.

Is Joe Biden, with his record to plague him, actually going to be able to, with a straight face, call anyone a liar? And what about Obama's reductions (an exaggeration in reverse), portraying himself as barely knowing Tony Rezko, the convicted felon who help Obama purchase the very ground his house sits on? Anyone who has been to the Mideast desert will know that with as close as the countries sit to each other, you could easily be at an outpost and think you are in one country when you are actually in another. I fully believe that Palin is as ready as Obama to study up on that region of the world. And if Obama says that he has any more experience than Palin in that area, then he's the liar.

I hate to pour fuel on the Rev. Wright embers, but I have to say this just once. Wright turned out to be a self-absorbed fool who horribly damaged Obama by trying to capitalize on his notoriety. But the stuff he preached was not racist. He preached against racism. The problem most people have with him, is that he used inflammatory language to criticise US foreign policy. I don't approve of his style either, but please don't confuse style with substance.

Only one questin needs be answered: How can such a horrible human being as Palin have an 80% approval rating in Alaska?

Palin's approval rating is higher than any other Alaska governor, and high than all current governors of the 50 states.

So, How can this stupid, deceiptful, horrible human being have such a high approval rating?

The anwser lies in the lies being told by the Washington post. That is the only disconnect in this sad situation. In fact, I have never read one neutral piece in your "newspaper" on Palin, which alone makes me suspect of your lies.

The Washinton Post is the horrible one, passing on lies, rumors, and inuendo to destroy Palin, even while you call yourselves a "newspaper."

as more and more is coming to light, (finally the msm is doing it's job perhaps more tentatively than with previous primary and presidential candidates,)it is obvious ms. palin is monica goodling super-sized by the good ol' lying gop. let's call for what it is: the good ol' lying gop, after their success with lying the country into an unnecessary and costly strategic mistake, learned, "well, geez, we can lie about anything to advance our power and agenda." after their 20 year agenda to dumb down the american voters, they have succeeded with the help of the enabling msm. fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me only shows we the american electorate can be fooled, not just some of the time, but time after time. to me this is arrogance and elitism of the highest order.

The CAT is backed into a corner of lies and will scratch your eyes out if challenged. The RNC coaches will get ejected from the game for unsportsmanlike conduct protesting the number of 15 yard penalties their team have from the referees.

Would Americans accept such a flimsy resume as Palin's in any other walk of life? Would our corporations appoint a CEO like her? Most CEO's have been put through a rigourous climb to the top. Atheletes have trained long and hard before they break into the Majors. Professors have to go through years of demanding work before they are tenured. Chiefs of police and fire departments slog for years before they lead and earn the respect of their subordinates and the public.
Heck, our founding fathers were thoughful, engaged and dedicated men who wrestled for years to create this great nation.
What gives the GOP and McCain the right to treat Americans with such contempt and why are we tolerating this cheap, crass, lying, un-engaged and vapid woman out of nowhere?
Liberal or conservative, all Americans should feel insulted by this selection and the on-going deception by McCain.
The man has no clue.

You speculate and offer no proof Palin every went to the island to see Russia and contemplate foreign policy, nor that she ever received special information just because of the proximity of Alaska to Russia. The federal government is the ones responsible for the boarders of the US, not the state.

Posted by: Oh brother! | September 15, 2008 11:37 AM

You are proving yorself extremely naive! Yes, the federal Governement is in charge of Alaska's defence, "baby"!

The same way the Federal Governement is also in charge of protecting our Embassies overseas! Guess what... Peple onsite (State Department Employees)in every country are IN THE LOOP!

The same in the case of the Alaska being attacked by Russia - are you telling me that the Governor is kept in the dark about movenents, deployment of troops etc? Or you think - that our Federal Government waits until there is such an attack to put the Governor in the loop of at least the immediate steps, security issues, logistics, etc?

How naive can the left-wingers be, after all! They think that the NSA, CIA, Defence, etc. do not share anything nada (haha) with Palin!

"Only one questin needs be answered: How can such a horrible human being as Palin have an 80% approval rating in Alaska?"

--------------------------------------------

Well if you lived in a state where the previous Republican governor and a current Republican Senator and Congressman are so corrupt, and you lived in a state with no income tax because of the tax on oil profits, and you got over $2000 per year from the state from the oil tax and if you got more money from those suckers in Washington than you paid in, you'd probably be pretty happy too. It isn't hard to be a star in Alaskan politics. It makes Louisiana look like good government.

Come on WOMEN - WAKE UP! Civil Rights achieved a higher level of success because diverse individuals came together on one issue - equal opportunity for blacks. It is time for women to come together on one issue - equal opportunity for women. If we contiue to be so easily divided and controlled this kind of media mistreatment will never end and we will always earn less money while suffering greater prejudice and discrimination.

VOTE YOUR GENDER - scare the media.
--------
Sorry, this dog ain't huntin'. If women have achieved true equality, we should be willing to vote based on qualifications, not identity. And women should be prepared to be denounced as corrupt and incompetent when appropriate, just as men are. THAT's equality.

Julie, the question to Palin was not whether she could see Russia from Alaska, but what she knows about her state's neighbor. Obviously, nothing.

Choosing Palin was the most sexist thing I've encountered because this decision denied that women have any intelligence. It implies that women can distinguish the shape of a woman's body from a man's one, but that's about it.

Dave Wrote:
When are you going to do some research on just what Obama accomplished as a "community organizer?"
=============
It's surprising to hear Republicans--members of the party that espouses non-governmental solutions to social problems--ridiculing a man's privately funded community work. I thought that community work like Obama's was the GOP's solution to our social ills?
A closer look at Obama's pre-legislature days offers more insight into his accomplishments. When he moved to Chicago in 1985, after graduating from Columbia, he found white, black, and Latina persons on Chicago's South Side hampered by the closure of steel mills. He began working for a privately funded community group, Developing Communities Project. Obama helped create a job training center (although its effect was limited by a general lack of jobs). He organized residents of Chicago Housing Authority apartments to force the city to fix decrepit buildings, including to fix basic services like plumbing and to abate dangerous asbestos in some apartments. He helped residents get streets fixed and tried to encourage economic redevelopment through private investment.
He tried to bring together different persons into a common movement, often working with church congregations. Sometimes he publicly exposed inefficiencies of government programs and official incompetence. He tried to empower residents to own their problems and seek solutions, helping them find the right resources, sometimes through government resources, and sometimes in spite of government obstacles. These are some of the projects he tried to accomplish as a community organizer, while making $13,000 per year, funded by private organizations.
As has been well-documented, he grew frustrated at the lack of resulting systemic change--forcing the abatement of asbestos from a few apartments does not generate a Housing Authority mandate to clear all apartments of the dangerous substance. That requires coordinated action with legal mandates to force the change. So, in 1988, he returned East to study law and embark on a legislative career, in order to address the issues from within the halls of government.
As Obama was finalizing plans to start at Harvard Law, George H.W. Bush was running for President on the Republican ticket in 1988. I vividly remember his calls for limiting governmental spending and encouraging people--as he did in his inaugural address--to take up a "new engagement in the lives of others, a new activism, hands-on and involved, that gets the job done." These hands-on organizers he famously called "a thousand points of light," consisting of all the "community organizations that are spread like stars throughout the Nation, doing good. We will work hand in hand, encouraging, sometimes leading, sometimes being led, rewarding." Looking back, it seems like the President Bush might have had the young Barack Obama in mind as the very prototype of the hands-on organizer--a young dreamer, rolling up his sleeves to work in the community, engaging his neighbors, encouraging them to solve problems, all while working with private funding, off the government payroll.
Now flash forward to the 2008 convention twenty years later, an age when the current Republican President has taken his father's dream of community organizations and given them government funding. What is the 2008 Republican vision of community organizers, those agents of change working hands-on, outside of government?

The columnists at WaPo are sputtering, frothing, but not communicating very well. You guys have lost your audience as well as your reputations.

After spending most of a year touting the candidacy of an inexperienced Obama, you are outraged at the less important candidacy of an inexperienced Palin.

After ignoring Obama's blatant flip-flops and deceptive advertising on Iraq (gave just one speech against it in 2004 but voted WITH bush on appropriations repetitively once in the Senate; and on trade (told folks in Canada he had to "pretend" to be against FAFTA for the primaries)--

NOW, you are outraged by the politics, half truths and alleged lies of not BOTH candidates but only the Republican candidate.

And that's why nobody out there in voter land is listening to you shills anymore.

On second thought we might not want Palin to become the VP; through her will alone she's intimidated Putin from building large military bases on deserted islands in the Bering strait. She's a hockey mom so you know she's tough. Combine that with the way she led those unruly parents at PTA meetings and he'll have to back down. If she looks someone directly in the eyes and doesn't control her temper they'll burst into flames on the spot.

THE U.S. SUPREME COURT RENDERED A DECISION
RECENTLY ON WHETHER POLITICIANS CAN BE HELD LIABLE FOR THEIR CAMPAIGN PROMISES.
(DON'T ASK ME TO POST SOMETHING YOU CAN AND SHOULD LOOK UP)

NO THEY DON'T, WAS THE GENERAL CONSENSUS,
THEY CAN IMPLY,STATE AS FACT, OR FLAT OUT LIE IN ORDER TO GET ELECTED.

WHAT I TOOK FROM THE READING IS THAT IT IS THE CONSTITUENCIES JOB AS VOTERS TO DETERMINE IF THEY ARE LYING AND TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY.

SO, DON'T GO LOOKING TO WAPO, FOXNEWS,PBS
ETC. TO DO YOUR HOMEWORK FOR YOU, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE VOTES YOU HAVE CAST OR WILL CAST.

WHEN CITIZENS DON'T RISE UP TO THEIR DUTIES AS "AMERICANS" AND CALL THEIR LEADERS TO SEEK CLARIFICATION OF STATEMENTS MADE OR ON POLICY,YOU DESERVE WHAT YOU GOT.

YOU ARE CULPABLE FOR THE STATE OF THIS
UNION(?), BY NOT DOING YOUR JOB, YOU NOW WANT TO HOLD THE MEDIA RESPONSIBLE.

I LEARNED IN THE EARLY 70'S THAT OUR GOV'T CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO TELL THE TRUTH (NO POW'S LEFT BEHIND) WHEN IT MATTERS THE MOST.

POLITICIANS AND DRUG COMPANY CEO'S PLAY FROM THE SAME BOOK, IF THEY WERE SERIOUS ABOUT CURING OR FIXING ANY THING THEY WOULD BE CUTTING THEIR OWN ECONOMICAL
OR POLITICAL THROATS,THATS WHY NOTHING GETS SOLVED OR CURED(ERGO, THE QUOTE SHORT TERM).

I HAVE 535 NAMES, ADDRESSES,PHONE#s AND E-MAILS FOR EVERY STUPID IDIOT ON THE HILL,
AND I WILL CALL THEM EVERY TIME THEY SAY OR DO SOMETHING I PERCEIVE OR FEEL
THE NEED FOR THEM TO CLARIFY.I AM NOT A SHEEP TO BE LEAD BY WAPO,FOX,PBS AND OTHER NEWS OUTLETS,THEIR JOB IS TO INCREASE VIEWERSHIP AND SUBSCRIBERS AND THEY WILL DO OR SAY ANYTHING TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.

IF YOU DO YOUR JOB AND THEY DO THEIRS,MAYBE THEN WE CAN TALK ABOUT A MORE PERFECT UNION.

P.S. DAVE SHUT YOUR MOUTH!
PSS. KRISTEN,PALIN ISN'T RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, SHE IS NOT THE SECOND COMING OF THE VIRGIN MARY,BECAUSE "MARY" WOULD HAVE PICKED CHRISTIAN NAMES FOR HER CHILDREN.
AND TO BE FAIR
A GOOD CHRISTIAN WOULD NOT HAVE SAT IN A PEW AND LISTEN TO VILE DIATRIBE FROM THEIR PASTOR.

The "sexist" reply to any serious questioning of Palin's record and qualifications is simply a smokescreen and more Republican misinformation. Her selection as McCain's running mate was a cynical move by a desperate old man.

First, here's Joe Biden telling the audience that Obama is not qualified and President is not on-the-job training
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDVUPqoowf8

Second, Joe Biden said two days ago that Hillary is a better choice as VP. In short, Obama made a mistake acc. to Biden.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVy2yh28eig

Posted by: Anonymous | September 15, 2008 11:53 AM

Oh NO!.. You forgot Hillary!!!
She said the same thing as Biden did about Obama not being qualified to become Commander in Chief! (remember that 3:00 am call to the White House ad? Remember her speeches and debates?)

Let's see now if you will get a response to your comment by the left-wingers!

I've heard it said the MSM are overcompensating because of their personal biases. Therefore they badger the Democrats and let the Republicans slide. It even makes sense from my perspective down here in the rabbit hole.

I believe maybe it is you who are the one who is being naive or maybe just overly tired since you have been posting for so long without a break. Haven't you earned enough money from the McCain campaign for one day? How much per post do you get anyway? Are you going to be paid posting for the Swift Boat people too? How much do they pay?

Our political system has failed us. Our press has failed us. Our elected officials have failed us and become corrupted. Our judicial system has become politicized and integrated into the corporations. Law after law is passed to repress the working class, rob us blind, prevent us from organizing, prevent us from taking back control over our national institutions.

Where is the press on the topic of Ralph Nader? WHERE ARE YOU? Nader is poised to pull enough votes from Obama to turn the purple states red... why is this being ignored?

Those of you who are plain sick of having a choice between dumb and dumber, bad and worse, non-choice options that force you to vote against your own interests, then why don't you have a look at other candidates? Isn't it your civic duty as part of the informed electorate to examine the candidates and cast your vote intelligently?

Ralph Nader has never lied to Americans. He has worked tirelessly for your rights and safety for over 40 years. He is intimately familiar with how the government works (or, actually, doesn't work). He has exposed corruption and failed foreign policy and government lies for decades. He is the only candidate that supports single payer health care. He is the only candidate who has a realistic approach to Middle East policy, including Iraq. He is the only candidate who has a real plan to protect American workers from the abuse of corporations including their rights to organize and their right to have their job stay on American soil. He is feared by both parties and corporations alike because he cannot be bought off.

Nader '08. Vote for your own best interests. Vote for economic realism. Vote for social justice. Vote for rational policies that work. Vote to save our Constitution.

Julie, the question to Palin was not whether she could see Russia from Alaska, but what she knows about her state's neighbor. Obviously, nothing.

Choosing Palin was the most sexist thing I've encountered because this decision denied that women have any intelligence. It implies that women can distinguish the shape of a woman's body from a man's one, but that's about it.

*****************

Read the transcript online in ABCNEWS.com not the video you have seen on TV or read from the MSM to know more what she said about Russia.

All these educated dirty libs make me sick. Things have never been better for the country and nearly everyone is prospering. Bush has handed out bootstraps for everyone and left no child behind. If we turn our back on the progress of the last 8 years then smelly hippies and their brainwashing book reading professors will try to turn America into a love fest where nobody pays their bills and people get massive handouts for making bad decisions. I work hard at my cashier station so I don't want some of my $8 hourly salary going to some 16 year old unwed mother who couldn't keep it in her pants.

Iraq is working because of the surge alone and now the oil is beginning to flow again so from here on the war will be free. As citizens over there adjust to capitalism in all it's glory they'll no longer have their hand out for bribes to lay down their arms. They can stitch soccer balls for those filthy Europeans or pick up the slack on Chinese toothpaste. I bet it's much better to have a little sand in your toothpaste to keep your gums healthy.

Eve Ensler, the American playwright, performer, feminist and activist best known for writing 'The VaginaMonologues' and founding V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, wrote the following about Sarah Palin.
Drill, Drill, Drill
I am having Sarah Palin nightmares. I dreamt last night that she was a member of a club where they rode snowmobiles and wore the claws of drowned and starved polar bears around their necks. I have a
particular thing for Polar Bears. Maybe it's their snowy whiteness or their bigness or the fact that they live in the arctic or that I have never seen one in person or touched one. Maybe it is the fact that they live so comfortably on ice. Whatever it is, I need the polar bears.

I don't like raging at women. I am a Feminist and have spent my life trying to build community, help empower women and stop violence against them. It is hard to write about Sarah Palin. This is why Sarah Palin choice was all the more insidious and cynical. The people who made this choice count on the goodness and solidarity of Feminists.

But everything Sarah Palin believes in and practices is antithetical to Feminism which for me is part of one story -- connected to saving the earth, ending racism, empowering women, giving young girls options, opening our minds, deepening tolerance, and ending violence and war.

I believe that the McCain/Palin ticket is one of the most dangerous choices of my lifetime, and should this country chose those candidates the fall-out may be so great, the destruction so vast in so many areas that America may never recover. But what is equally disturbing is the impact that duo would have on the rest of the world. Unfortunately, this is not a joke. In my lifetime I have seen the clownish, the inept, the bizarre be elected to the presidency with regularity. Sarah Palin does not believe in evolution. I take this as a metaphor. In her world and the world of Fundamentalists nothing changes or gets better or evolves. She does not believe in global warming. The melting of the arctic, the storms that are destroying our cities, the pollution and rise of cancers, are all part of God's plan. She is fighting to take the polar bears off the endangered species list. The earth, in Palin's view, is here to be taken and plundered. The wolves and the bears are here to be shot and plundered. The oil is here t o be taken and plundered. Iraq is here to be taken and plundered. As she said herself of the Iraqi war, 'It was a task from God.

Sarah Palin does not believe in abortion. She does not believe women who are raped and incested and ripped open against their will should have a right to determine whether they have their rapist's baby or not.

She obviously does not believe in sex education or birth control. I imagine her daughter was practicing abstinence and we know how many babies that makes.

Sarah Palin does not much believe in thinking. From what I gather she has tried to ban books from the library, has a tendency to dispense with people who think independently. She cannot tolerate an environment of ambiguity and difference. This is a woman who could and might very well be the next president of the United States. She would govern one of the most diverse populations on the earth.

Sarah believes in guns. She has her own custom Austrian hunting rifle. She has been known to kill 40 caribou at a clip. She has shot hundreds of wolves from the air. Sarah believes in God. That is of course her right, her private right. But when God and Guns come together in the public sector, when war is declared in God's name, when the rights of women are denied in his name, that is the end of separation of church and state and the undoing of everything America has ever tried to be.

I write to my sisters.I write because I believe we hold this election in our hands. This vote is a vote that will determine the future not just of the U.S. , but of the planet. It will determine whether we create policies to save the earth or make it forever uninhabitable for humans. It will determine whether we move towards dialogue and diplomacy in the world or whether we escalate violence through invasion, undermining and attack. It will determine whether we go for oil, strip mining, coal burning or invest our money in alternatives that will free us from dependency and destruction. It will determine if money gets spent on education and healthcare or whether we build more and more methods of killing. It will determine
whether America is a free open tolerant society or a closed place of fear, fundamentalism and aggression.

If the Polar Bears don't move you to go and do everything in your power to get Obama elected then consider the chant that filled the hall after Palin spoke at the RNC, 'Drill Drill Drill.' I think of teeth when I think of drills. I think of rape. I think of destruction. I think of domination. I think of military exercises that force mindless repetition, emptying the brain of analysis, doubt, ambiguity or dissent. I think of pain.

Do we want a future of drilling? More holes in the ozone, in the floor of the sea, more holes in our thinking, in the trust between nations and peoples, more holes in the fabric of this precious thing we call life?

Seems like to me that this column closely mimics the kind of treatment Hillary got.

I'm not thinking that either Hillary getting fired at by snipers, or Sarah going to Iraq make one iota of difference. But I've heard quite a bit about these "stories" in the press. [Though to be fair, it was Hillary saying that she was fired on by snipers, where someone else said Sarah went to Iraq. That seems a bit different.]

As for equal treatment, the Charlie Gibson interview wasn't exactly an attempt at cordiality, was it?

Why don't you devote a column to comparing the number of headlines that reference this type of trivia to the number of headlines about Obama and McCain's policy differences. Now THAT might prove to be interesting.

O.K. guys, this is the thing. It is not all about the details. It is about the deception. I am sick and tired of politicians trying to insult my intelligence through slogans, glib one liners and evasions. Sarah Palin is not who the DNC presents her to be. That is the issue.

Unfortunately, editorials like Mr. Dionne and others from major cities' newspapers are not read by the many people in smaller cities, towns, and municipalities. These are the constituents that the McCain campaign is targeting. McCain's operatives are solely relying on people's ignorance and fear to distract from the real problems that the US is experiencing: recessionary economy, high prices, no respect from the international community--just to name a few.

It is extremely scary to see that this election is a referendum on chutzpah versus intellect. Since when is being a bully a virtue? The current Republican's bashing of knowledge and education reminds me of the Culture Revolution in China (and a few other Communist countries) where the "intellectuals" were killed or forced into labor camps. The Republicans deified President Reagan for contributing to the end of Communism in Russia, why are they then using a premier Communism tactic to win this election?

After watching the McCain campaign sleepwalk through the summer, the Democrats can't get their arms around the Palin phenomenon. Who is she -- a Mayor from Nowhere! -- to come along, light a fire under the GOP ticket and threaten our path to the White House?

The spirited response to Palin by the Republican delegates in St. Paul is one thing. These are her people, the almighty GOP base.

When her popularity spilled over to the public at large and manifested itself in fundraising and opinion polls -- the GOP ticket is now tied with or ahead of the Democrats -- it was a real affront to the Democrats.

After all, ``this is our moment,'' ``this is our time,'' Barack Obama said in a June 3 speech after wrapping up the Democratic presidential nomination.

He's right. The 2008 presidential election is the Democrats to lose.

An attitude of inevitability, of entitlement even, pervaded the Democratic Party -- until it was rudely punctured two weeks ago by the Palin phenom.

Co-Opting Change

The bursting of the inevitability bubble was on view in the real-time reaction to Palin's acceptance speech. The liberal pundits on cable news were clearly caught off guard by Palin's poise in front of an audience just a bit larger than the population of Wasilla. They were speechless. Seriously. Their jaws were moving, but nothing comprehensible was coming out.

It was on view in Barack Obama's demeanor on the campaign trail following the GOP convention. The candidate has gone flat.

And it was on view in the sheer glee the press took in turning over rocks, or icebergs, in Alaska to find some contradictions in Palin's assertions about the fabled Bridge to Nowhere.

On top of that, McCain and Palin have insinuated ``change'' into their campaign. How dare they steal our thunder, the Dems complain. We're the party of change. We're running against the incumbent president. They can't run as anti-incumbents, too.

Experience Boomerang

In short, the Democrats are running scared. And it's not for the reasons you think.

The fear has nothing to do with Palin's views. She likes guns, opposes abortion, wants to drill, is against a windfall profits tax on oil companies, wants to cut spending and earmarks, believes raising taxes hurts small business. She pretty much shares McCain's views on those issues.

The fear has nothing to do with Palin's inexperience -- six years as mayor of small-town Wasilla and two years as governor of Alaska, the largest, albeit a sparsely populated, state. If elected, Palin would be a ``heartbeat away'' from the Oval Office, her critics like to point out.

If she's a heartbeat away on Day Two, President Obama, with zero executive experience, is at mission control on Day One. Accusations of Palin's inexperience ultimately boomerang back to Obama's slim resume.

Loser Image

Besides, no one votes for vice president. The last time a vice presidential pick had a clear impact on the election outcome was John F. Kennedy's selection of Lyndon B. Johnson, who helped JFK carry Texas, according to presidential historians. (Why, then, do we spend endless hours handicapping and analyzing the VP choice every four years?)

No, the real reason the Democrats are scared to death of Palin's popularity is because if they lose this election, it will mean they are bankrupt as a party.

If the Democrats can't win a presidential election after eight years of an unpopular president, five years of an unpopular war, in the face of a lousy economy, a collapse in the housing market and overwhelming sentiment that the country is on the wrong track, it means something is terribly wrong.

This is as good as it gets for a party out of power. A loss in November would be embarrassing -- no, humiliating -- to the Democrats.

If they lose in '08, they will have no one to blame but themselves. Sarah Palin has raised the odds of a Democratic loss. That's why she has to be destroyed.

(Caroline Baum, author of ``Just What I Said,'' is a Bloomberg News columnist. The opinions expressed are her own.)

To contact the writer of this column: Caroline Baum in New York at cabaum@bloomberg.net.

Excellent summary by Dionne of the GOP/McCain campaign's problematic portrayal of this newcomer to Presidential electoral combat.
Responses to him show a desire for obfuscation that is frightening, especially when she might be in charge of more than one war if McCain were to die in office.
These presentations by GOP of her appear to be intentional lying, not because of confusion, when they are serially repeated, even after refutations in the major media.

O.K. guys, this is the thing. It is not all about the details. It is about the deception. I am sick and tired of politicians trying to insult my intelligence through slogans, glib one liners and evasions. Sarah Palin is not who the DNC presents her to be. That is the issue.

Posted by: Terry

-----------------------------------------

Well after all, this election isn't about issues. So says the Palin-McCain campaign.

The way I see it:
Taxpayers have every right to demand the hard investigations into candidates for the top two jobs in the country. YOU will be paying their salaries. If a prospective employee's resume was thoroughly investigated and revealed one serious falsehood after another..would you hire that person? Palin should be dropped from the ticket..fast.
Sen. Hillary Clinton probably turned down the VP job. As one of the most powerful and well known women in the country, she can and will accomplish a great deal more in the Senate.

Oh Dionne, you wacko leftist! The real question is will Obama get the same scrutiny that Palin is getting? You know, that lightweight running for POTUS?

Let's see how Charlie Gibson grilled the two:

First, Obama:

How does it feel to break a glass ceiling?
How does it feel to “win”?
How does your family feel about your “winning” breaking a glass
ceiling?
Who will be your VP?
Should you choose Hillary Clinton as VP?
Will you accept public finance?
What issues is your campaign about?
Will you visit Iraq?
Will you debate McCain at a town hall?
What did you think of your competitor’s [Clinton] speech?

Now Palin:

Do you have enough qualifications for the job you’re seeking?
Specifically have you visited foreign countries and met foreign leaders?
Aren’t you conceited to be seeking this high level job?
Questions about foreign policy
-territorial integrity of Georgia
-allowing Georgia and Ukraine to be members of NATO
-NATO treaty
-Iranian nuclear threat
-what to do if Israel attacks Iran
-Al Qaeda motivations
-the Bush Doctrine
-attacking terrorists harbored by Pakistan
Is America fighting a holy war? [misquoted Palin]

Spread the truth about the Bridge to Nowhere...Council for Citizens Against Government Waste concluded Sarah did kill the bridge project not US congress.
http://councilfor.cagw.org/site/News2?abbr=CCAGW_&page=NewsArticle&id=11594

Pit-Bull Republicans! How can any reasonable person respond to this kind of irrationality?

Posted by: L.Kurt Engelhart | September 15, 2008 12:16 PM

-Is that lipstick wearing pitbulls? You liberals are so two faced with your equality agendas and your hateful smears of women. I'm voting for a woman in the white house no matter what. Take that you woman hating Marxists!!

This article and the comments I read remind me of a precedent of another nomination that may was viewed as well or ill considered. President Bush nominated White House Counsel Harriet Miers as a United States Supreme Court Justice. People need convincing that these nominations are taken as seriously by those doing the nominating as the nominees agreeing to accept the positions if they are given the opportunity. This event appears to be a repeat of the 'blind faith' that the voters seem to place in the ability of the Republican party leadership to 'always do what's right' and to put aside the process by which the most capable and deserving candidate might actually be nominated for the VP slot in the ticket. McCain's nomination of Governor Sarah Palin and the lack of evidence, whether positive or negative, supporting his decision is a cause for worry.

Well said. I think there are many concerns about Gov. Palin that need to be addressed. I'm concerned that as mayor she fired the town librarian for not banning books. I'm concerned that her opposition to abortion even in cases of rape and incest is an extremist view even to most pro-lifers that indicates an inability to see any shades of gray in decision making. I'm concerned that having 10 of the last 16 years of her career as city council member or mayor of a town 1/30th the size of Buffalo, NY does not really give her anything near the depth of experience with national and global affairs that I want to see in someone who could easily become president of the most powerful country in the world. And I'm concerned that she repeatedly and openly lies about being a McCain-like reformer when she was clearly a strong advocate for earmarks and the Bridge to Nowhere up until it became a symbol for government waste. I'm also concerned about the way she deliberately used her private yahoo account for business emails so that she could keep her correspondences from the public record.

-Is that lipstick wearing pitbulls? You liberals are so two faced with your equality agendas and your hateful smears of women. I'm voting for a woman in the white house no matter what. Take that you woman hating Marxists!!

Posted by: Natasha

Well there happen to be more than a few lipstick wearing men around too so to them your comments are rather sexist. You might even be one of them come to think of it!

The tone of the above comments in support of Gov. Palin does not dispute the facts of her amazingly thin credentials and how deceptive the McCain camp is in describing them.

Exit polls from this past primary season documented that 30% of those asked admitted that race matters in their votes. First, most people believe that if 30% admit it then the real number is much higher. Next, if you remove the African American voters from the total, probably the overwhelming remaining voters are anti-Obama voters who just won't vote for an African American. This observation has been made to me by many Dems and Repubs. Rather than the hype about Gov. Palin being about the future of the Republican Party (described by some as looking like the American version of the Taliban), it is cover to vote deeply-rooted racist feelings.

There is one or perhaps more left wing Morons here that in the absence of "real" facts and also any speck of real character they keep posting "idiotic"/"nasty" messages copying my name - pretending that they are me!

That's OK - I do have the option to alert the moderators via email but I am going to leave them here - prhaps their boss - Obama - may get around to realize that his campaign's and supporters tactics - are HURTING HIM! Keep up the excellebt wotk BummaBumma-Babinos!!

Thank God most people (the ones with a brain) can tell whether they are posted ny me (McCain-Palin supporter) or some idiot left winger - Obama supporter! Keep it up Obama campaign - the polls are on our side with your dirty tricks all over the Internet! We have figured you out a long time ago - nothing new - that is why you are going to loose this election. It is your arrogance (you thought you had the election for the Presidency all locled up and noe - you cry babies - are like fish out of water!!

Oh, btw- has Obama started "turning the waters and healing the planet yet???!!!

As an outsider viewing this election race from Europe, I must say that the Bush administration has been viewed largely with ridicule by the rest of the world for the past 8 years. McCain and Palin seem to represent the same to us and therefore my friends and I find it absolutely startling that Americans would even consider voting for another 4 years of Republicans.

I know that Obama isn't perfect, but just listening to him speak it sounds as though he is an American leader that the rest of the world would actually respect.

If you think McCain and Palin will build international relationships and win the respect of the rest of the world then I think you're mistaken.

And I know part of you will say that it doesn't matter what the rest of the world thinks, but unfortunately (for you) it matters more and more the relationship that America has with the rest of the world.

There is one or perhaps more left wing Morons here that in the absence of "real" facts and also any speck of real character they keep posting "idiotic"/"nasty" messages copying my name - pretending that they are me!

Do we want 4 more years of a Bushwhacked administration? The cartoon in Sundays' NYT Week in Review section got it right - Palin is Bush's "Mini Me". Her highest priorities: Secrecy and loyalty. She fires those with dissenting views; she surrounds herself with a small coterie of like-minded appointees; she picks her friends/HS classmates to head important governing agencies regardless of their inexperience; she is vindictive when crossed; she lies; she's a born again right wingnut who would deny women who are raped an abortion; her religion rules; she's a "down-home" kinda gal who spent 300+ days of her governorship at "Ranch Wasilla"; she's not around a whole lot or accessible to other state officials; she's arrogant, skilled at bluffing and not at all ready to be vice president - and perish the thought - president.

Perhaps if we all addressed the hugely important issues facing the next President of the United States rather focus on gender, race, abortion, lipstick, soccer moms, etc., we may convince the American people that a vote for the McCain/Palin ticket is a vote for an American tragedy.

The rest of the world seems to know this.
The uneducated masses of the U.S. obviously do not.

Dionne might well have asked, "Will Obama get the same scrutiny Bush got? The answer is no- Obama's record is so skimpy that the press might well have concluded it was not worth the trouble to delve into his past. Sure, he associated with a known and confessed terrorist, Wm. Ayers and attended a church presided over by a racist preacher but liberals say what is wrong with that? Palin's record is also skimpy but already she has been subjected to more negative reports than Obama got. Ms. Clinton was in the public eye for many years. Dionne is a leftwing ideologue and is incapable of judging liberals harshly.

All men think that a woman has to prove themselves ten times more than they do! She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!

George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!

All men are sexist pigs.

Leave Sarah Palin alone!
------------------------------------
A perrrrfect argument for exiting stage left on the McSame/Palin ticket from an obvious Pailin supporter:
"...She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!" [in support of her foreign policy experience], and "George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!"

Can you imagine the reaction if Obama's daughter had a baby out of wedlock? There would be all sorts of racist comments about the black family's lack of morality, parenting, responsiblity etc. I can just imagine the Republican slime machine going into full gear. Rush Limbough would be drooling. BTW, great post anon,11:58 the sad thing is that the people who need to read it will skip over it and continue with their anti Obama rants.

All men think that a woman has to prove themselves ten times more than they do! She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!

George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!

All men are sexist pigs.

Leave Sarah Palin alone!
------------------------------------
A perrrrfect argument for exiting stage left on the McSame/Palin ticket from an obvious Pailin supporter:
"...She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!" [in support of her foreign policy experience], and "George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!"

The Palin interview response that I found most troublesome is one that has gotten very little exposure in the media. It relates to what she says is one the key areas of knowledge she will to a McCain administration: energy.

After proclaiming herself an energy expert, she proceeded to talk about energy as though the word is synonymous with oil and gas. This was apparent in the statistics she cited on how much Alaska contributes to U.S. energy production, which do not seem to have factored in energy from coal, nuclear, hydroelectric plants).

There is one or perhaps more left wing Morons here that in the absence of "real" facts and also any speck of real character they keep posting "idiotic"/"nasty" messages copying my name - pretending that they are me!

That's OK - I do have the option to alert the moderators via email but I am going to leave them here - prhaps their boss - Obama - may get around to realize that his campaign's and supporters tactics - are HURTING HIM! Keep up the excellebt wotk BummaBumma-Babinos!!

----It just looks like the same talking points to me. You might need to strengthen your arguments rather than cut paste from RedState

All this pack of lies is scary. What kind of White House are we heading to, if by some Satanic twist the McCain-Palin ticket wins? The lies, contradictions, intrigue, cynism, dirt etc are surely heading to some mother of all -gates.

Does 'Dave' have anything to say in defense of Palin other than complaining about the Liberal Media Elite? I'm suprised I didn't see a reference to arugala, latte drinking, or "real values". The answer is NO. Palin is a joke, McCain has sold his soul to the GOP Lie & Spin Machine, our future is in jeopardy with this hockey mom potentially a heart beat away from the presidency.
------------
Dave wrote:
The Washington Post is really comical these days. Do you realize that your front page consists mainly of hit pieces on Sarah Palin? She must really have you guys worried. She might derail your candidate's coronation. When are you guys going to go after the sleazy lobbying deals of Joe Biden's son? When are you going to do some research on just what Obama accomplished as a "community organizer?" When are you going to pick apart Obama's thin resume? Sarah Palin has endured more harsh scrutiny from the Washington Post in two weeks that Obama has in two years. You guys are so transparent! And you still claim that you are objective journalists. In the internet age, people can get information form other sources and your bias becomes abundantly clear

The world today is different from the world of even eight years ago. It's really dangerous all the way around...if Obama, God forbid, dies- at least we can have confidence in Biden that the government will continue under capable leadership.

But what if, again God forbid, McCain dies? Palin is incapable of leading the country.

I'm English. When Americans vote, they vote for all of us. But you also vote for yourselves, and I truly believe that if Sara Palin, with her intolerance of other religions and opinions, and her radical ideas for dealing with foes, becomes President and puts her opinions into action, hatred around the world will increase, and the States will have put itself in greater danger of attack.

BTW she went to Kuwait to see her AK National Guard troops...to see how they were doing and to make sure their needs were being met. Not to campaign for elected office as did Obama. In the eyes of his supporters the coverage of his visit to the middle east seems to have made up for his nearly 2 year absence since taking office as a US Senator. Oh that's right he was busy running for President and didn't have time. He also lacked space on his busy schedule to perform his duties as an elected official.

-Is that lipstick wearing pitbulls? You liberals are so two faced with your equality agendas and your hateful smears of women. I'm voting for a woman in the white house no matter what. Take that you woman hating Marxists!!
Posted by "another Natasha"!!

Well there happen to be more than a few lipstick wearing men around too so to them your comments are rather sexist. You might even be one of them come to think of it!

Posted by: NoBAMA | September 15, 2008 12:29 PM

Ahaha...ha!

NoBAMA - I am the person who has been posting as Natasha (McCain-Palin supporter) who dislikes the media clowns especially Campmbell Brown - Keith Olbermann!!

The above comment was not written by me...There are probably many men wearing lipstick around here - copying my name - pretending that their comments are written by me. They are so desperate - they came to a political blog to live they perverted fantasies!! i suggest that they visit a porno-site!

Bumma-Bumma-Baminos look...please do not cry...it will son be over !! hahahaha!!

Palin's defenders in this forum are comical; any criticism of her is interpreted as a suggestion that she really has the Democrats worried. What sort of statement would express confidence; "Yep, looks like Palin and McCain are really going to kick the legs out from under us, come November"? Would that satisfy you?

On the contrary, Palin is a priceless gift to the Democrats - a simple-minded boob who can't field the easiest underhand-pitch softballs on foreign policy, and a bully who can barely settle in any seat of power before she starts abusing it. If Democrats have any complaint about her, it might be her total dominance of the news cycle; but if it's all as damaging as it's been so far, that would be a half-hearted complaint at best.

Attack, attack, attack. There we have a lipsticked Pig, that I discovered from sitting on ABC wondering Why McCain "Did not Attack ME on MY MUSLIM RELIGION." Obama said.

And I wonder about the following???

Obams's Occidental College records
Obama's Columbia College records
Obama's Columbia Thesis paper
Obama's Harvard College records
Obama's Selective Service Registration
Obama's Medical records
Obama's Illinois State Senate records
A certified copy of Obama’s Original Birth Certificate
Obama's embossed, signed paper Certification of Live Birth
Any Obama Harvard Law Review articles that were published (I have found one.)
Obama's University of Chicago scholarly articles or publications.
I would like to see his national test scores, his grants, his scholarships, his
income tax reports for those years.

How complete was Obama's Security background checks, or was it a case of sworn statements signed by OBAMA.

Mr. Obama is being considered for the highest job in America, and he should provide the above as if he would be interviewing for that position in Corporate America..

The MSM has failed to adequately cover the background of OBAMA. AND according to him he is the second coming of MLK and JFK and HE BELIEVES WHAT HE READS ABOUT HIMSELF.

Let him explain why he is willing to spend more than 500 million dollars to become President. I would like to know how a B Student in high school... somehow manages to get admitted to ELITE PRIVATE COLLEGES. (There appears to be NO RECORD of him EVER stepping into a PUBLIC SCHOOL in his life.)

He is the poor, underprivileged son of a single MOM. Yet he manages to get grants ( say FREE MONEY, that you don't have to pay back), scholarships (no record of any scholarships by name, and guess what LOANS.

Obama is intelligent, articulate and a TYPICAL CHICAGO POLITICIAN. His is a record that NO ONE can account for ONE GOOD THING he has done in POLITICS since he entered.

Now the MSM is ATTACKING Palin BECAUSE he has ordered it and the DNC is afraid of her NOW and in the Future.

"...she did not ban any books. She asked the librarian, how do you handle if someone come to you asking to ban a book. Get your facts straight
http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/sliming_palin.html"

Well, almost. What she said, as quoted from someone who was there when Palin said it, Palin asked: "What would your response be if I asked you to remove some books from the collection?"

Note the "I asked", not "someone asked". Just more lies and distortions being spread by the dark side of the republican party.

And why would anyone short of a right wing Nazi ask such a question? A few months later the librarian, who said flatly to Palin that she would "absolutely resist all efforts to ban books", received a leter from Palin saying that she would be fired. A public uproar against the firing cause Palin to not fire her. Read about it here if you dare: http://www.adn.com/sarah-palin/story/515512.html

I would like to hear the innocent reason Sarah had for asking about banning books, but I haven't heard it. Sarah would ban books, ban all abortions including rape and incest, and support God's war in Iraq.

We've had enough of republican government. After 8 years they have shown it does not work, and they have also shown that they are delusional. Bush and many McCain supporters on this blog say the economy is doing fine. Well, maybe you should check out the headlines on every newspaper around the world today, but I doubt you'll see that there is a problem. Blind leading the blind. Its time for rational people to lead this nation and rational people to vote them in.

We need more discussion of real issues and less discussion of images and personal attacks. Our country is facing tremendous challenges with our economy, with our banking system, with jobs, with soaring energy costs, with soaring health care costs, with our soldiers fighting and dieing in Iraq and Afghanistan. The current presidental campaign is a disservice and an insult to the American people. I really expected more from John McCain. We need answers to real issues and not more endless talk. This is not a beauty contest. We need a leader than can actually solve problems. McCain is so close to Bush now, that he really scares me. This country can not afford 4 more years of the Bush's failed policies. I love the Republican Party ideals, but right now in my opinion, the best way to save the Republican Party from it's current leadership, is to vote them out of office.

Well I happen to be an independent and she has me scared too! Not for who she is or what she represents, but because if people are so ignorant and foolish to actually fall for this cynical Neo-Conjob ruse and still elect the Palin-McCain ticket, it doesn't speak well for the future.

Well, the media first has to get to animal killer bloody Sarah. Last I heard they are still not allowing her to speak to the press spontaneously after speeches, etc. And the next interview will be with that proconservative Shawn Hannity.

We the people have a right to hear what she has to say and how she says it without that campaign controlling her every move. I think this is so unamerican!

But then, what we have now is not an american republic. The definition of fascim is the merging of government and corporations. Thats what we have. McCain/Palin will leave it that way.

Re: Campbell Brown & Jon Clown!!! (as in John Klein, President of CNN)

Quote: "I never in a million years thought I would be adding my own comments, but here goes it. First off, I am not committed to any presidential party as of yet, therefore, I am not partial to any one side. Second, I believe for the educated obvious reason, that those who congratulate Ms. Brown are those who undoubtedly do so on a partial basis.

This, Ms. Brown/Tucker situation is not about the questions and the alleged unprepared response of the Republican party, and this is not about the Republicans "running from CNN." I watched the entire segment unfold and I was appalled. I kept thinking, out loud, as Ms. Brown kept hammering her questions in the interruptive fashion that she continued, "would you just shut up and let him talk."

I was really wondering what CNN would be thinking of this disgrace, of Ms. Brown's hostility, of Ms. Brown's very personal agenda, of Ms. Brown's lack of professionalism and if that was not enough, of Ms. Brown's conclusive "baby" remark. Wow! Unprofessionalism at its best. Ms. Brown, this is very personal for you, isn't it? I have been noting your biased opinions for a long time. I just laughed at how miserable it must be to actually feel so jealous to the point that you literally lose control. I wonder, what got under your skin? This situation was intolerant and hostile, and I would say quite embarrassing. Your colleagues and station know this as well. I can see the "clean up" they are trying to do on your behalf in spite of the fact that John Klein "says" he supports you.

John Klein; bad move not to acknowledge to the public a poor performing employee such as Ms. Brown. Anyway, have it your way Mr. Klein, things have a way of working out in the end. Although I am including an opinion, its really no skin off my back. I can only change what I have control over and I decide for starters to just tune you and yours out. You have had plenty of time to quell Ms. Brown, this situation is not a first, its just the "straw that broke the camels back." She has been disgusting for a long time. I hope, John Klein, you reprocess your priorities."

The GOP has become the party of whiny victimization. Why don't you right-wingers just let the media know what questioning and criticism is allowed, OK? No one wants to hurt your whittle feewings, crybabies. Excellent OPINION column in the L.A. Times today...oh wait, it is OK to express an opinion against the GOP, isn't it?

---------------------

Opinion

The GOP plays the victim card
Conservatives claim to hate victimhood, but the Republican Party encourages its base to feel aggrieved at the hands of the 'elites.'
Gregory Rodriguez

September 15, 2008

Do you remember that old joke about conservatives being liberals who'd been mugged by reality? Well, it was funny largely because it was true. Conservatives fancy themselves as hard-nosed realists. Unlike fluffy-headed liberals, who spend their days dreaming of a perfect world, conservatives are suspicious of utopian schemes. They know quite well that life is hard, and they disdain few things more than whiners and complainers. That's why more than a handful of conservative critics -- from Michael Medved to Rush Limbaugh -- have condemned what they call America's destructive culture of victimhood.

But if conservatives hate victimhood so much, why then does the Republican Party encourage its base to feel so aggrieved, especially at the hands of those snotty "elites"? Whether it's complaining about lipstick on a pig or bashing Washington insiders, the media and those oh-so-condescending Hollywood celebrities, Republicans have turned their own kind of victimhood into a political art form.

In fairness, Republicans didn't invent victim politics, nor do they have the franchise on it. But the form they engage in is particularly troublesome, not least because so many conservatives seem not to even realize they're up to their eyebrows in a game they claim to despise.

When Americans go on the attack against elites, historically we think of economic populism, the kind of class warfare pushed by the left wing. This is about money, inequality and an agenda to redistribute wealth. Liberal activists rail against robber barons and corporate fat cats. Conservative populism leverages social rather than economic cleavages. The agenda is mobilizing resentful masses that get a vicarious go at thumbing their noses at anyone they feel looks down on them. The enemies list is made up of professors, public intellectuals and entertainers, not captains of industry. And without any real redress in mind, conservative populism is all about emotion and personal grievance, not righting any particular social or economic wrong. You'd think the rise of conservative media, eight years of a conservative administration and a conservative-leaning Supreme Court would have undermined the GOP's victim strategy -- they are in power, which is one way to define "elite."

Indeed, in 2003, conservative writer Brian C. Anderson argued that with technology's help, the conservative media have broken what he called "the left's near monopoly over institutions of opinion and information." Cable TV, the Internet and the emergence of conservative book publishing, he wrote in the Manhattan Institute's City Journal, "have injected conservative ideas right into the heart of the debate. Though commentators have noted each of these changes separately, they haven't sufficiently grasped how, taken together, they add up to a revolution: No longer can the left keep conservative views out of the mainstream. ... Everything has changed."

But everything hasn't changed. Conservatives still behave like a battered minority. Romesh Ponnuru was a voice in the conservative wilderness Wednesday when he argued in a National Review blog that the GOP's response to Barack Obama's lipstick-on-a-pig comment is making Republicans look like "whiny grievance-mongers."

That's too bad, because it undermines the conservative critique of the politics of victimization, which is not a bad one. When they aren't practicing victimhood, conservatives argue that it weakens moral accountability and therefore personal responsibility. To identify yourself as a perpetual victim, they would say, tends to be a self-fulfilling prophecy that can undermine an individual's or a group's ability to improve their lot over time.

Of course, in this critique, those playing the victim card are always liberals or their fellow travelers. Just this June, Dennis Prager wrote that the "entire liberal-left [worldview] is predicated on portraying every group in America except white, male, heterosexual Christians as oppressed. Women are oppressed by men. Blacks and Hispanics are oppressed by whites. Gays are oppressed by straights. Non-Christians are oppressed by Christians."

He must have been surprised when, at the GOP convention, his own champions, Sarah Palin and Rudy Giuliani, flagrantly predicated their positions on the same kind of oppression, this time of Sam's Club, Main Street Republicans by those nasty "elites."

But who really cares about fairness and consistent thinking when politics are in play? Like the minority activist groups that conservatives abhor, the Republicans know very well that crying out against a foe is one sure way to rally the troops. And it works particularly well when your side is in political or ideological disarray. If you can't inspire your base with a coherent vision of the future, then you might as well unify it with the promise to stand up against the boogeyman.

In the end, conservatives are right, we have become a nation of victims, but surely it's getting more difficult for them to blame it all on the liberals.

Obama would be a great film star...Btw, he is the one running for President - not Satah Palin!

1. Yes, Sarah Palin is being drug around in the dirt because she is a Republican woman and how dare the person call Sarah a Caribou Barbie! That is one of the most sexist comments, yet. Also, for the one who called her "trailer trash" that just shows to me that it is not the Republicans who are elitists but the Democrats.This should be very offensive to those whose homes are trailers and who don't make a six figure income.

2.It keeps coming up about the Bridge to Nowhere. Obama has ALSO been in favor of MANY things and then changed his mind....Israel/Pakistan...Russian/Georgia, etc. but NO-ONE dwells on that. In fact, he can't make a decision; he just goes with the flow after asking dozens of advisors. He is charmismatic, I will give him that but charisma isn't what we need. Some of you mentioned that McCain's heroism doesn't qualify him for the White House...well,okay then...neither does being a charismatic celebrity. Obama would be a great film star. He loves the spotlight. He's an eloquent speaker. I've heard that John McCain is not. Hmmm...someone who's become good at smoothly eloquent speaking probably has learned to make words work for him and twist them when necessary and people won't even notice.

3. I've noticed that some are comparing Palin's lack of experience and background to Obama. How come they are not doing the same comparison on McCain and Obama? Why is Joe Biden not the one that is being compared to her? At least, I have not seen much to that;maybe someone can fill me in on somewhere I could see this.

4. It seems Palin has so many sins in her life and McCain, too. Then,I guess the Democrats are without sin. They are presenting themselves as perfect. Too bad the voters are not nearly as perfect as Obama. In the Bible, there was a story about an adulteress that was getting ready to be stoned to death. Jesus told them "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." The Dems have done a great job of casting the stones and hitting Palin.

And, let's not forget the Democrat who was President, and even though I'm not a Democrat, he did a decent job of the duties in office, yet he was an adulterer while in the office that he was elected to, disappointing Americans, but in this whole election,no one, not even the Republicans (except this one) has brought that up;(which is right thing NOT to do)maybe, it is because we all have skeletons in our closet. Have you ever thought what would come out if you ran for office?

5. The newstands are full of articles tearing Palin down, but I've yet to see the faces of Obama (the liberal media's little darling) or Joe Biden on the covers presented in a negative way. I agree with one blogger who said that these publications are only ruining themselves. Let's do real journalistic reporting...report the facts, Jack on both sides, both negative and positive and let the readers decide. I would absolutely LOVE to see an article in a mag that compares Obama to McCain and in the same mag Palin to Biden, side by side on issues, skeletons in the closets, biographies, awards and honors....maybe in the form of resumes so the American public could compare and then at the polls hire the ticket they think would be the best for the job.

6. Finally, and then, I'm through. I understand it may be good to understand the candidates' views based on their faith but it is a little undeserving to undermine one for "praying" that God's will be done. Our country was founded on a faith in the One True God, The Creator and our laws and values were built upon the Christian faith, but now, it's not politically correct to be a Christian,no one must renounce their deep beliefs in order to please everyone. I couldn't see one bit of hatred in the video that has been circulating where she spoke at her church in Alaska. Praying for someone does not cause hatred or racism or sexism. Their beliefs in their faith did not say they hated gays,only that they would be praying for them. And, in the privacy of a church building, they may do whatever (within the law) that they believe. Now that Obama has disowned his pastor, no one has mentioned anymore about how that church shaped his views. They are afraid to because of the venomous rhetoric that came from the pastor's mouth. Does anyone know what Biden believes;have they gone to a church he attends or does he attend one? What about McCain? What are his religious values? So, then, why does that play into the equation with Palin? I could understand if she were part of an anti-government,hate religion. The most she could be convicted of in her faith is saying that she believes in praying to God, asking His will for the country. Go back in history to other presidents; many were men who prayed or sought God's will. At least, the great ones did.

Thank you, both Republicans and Democrats for letting me air my feelings. How, sometimes I wish we didn't have parties. I can't stand the division and hatred that ensues. Especially when we say "United we stand, Divided we fall." Let's just let each other vote our consciences or faith or whatever standard and quit yelling at each other. I really hope that people in other countries don't read our comments because it will show the United States are not so united after all. And...I will be praying for this election, that God will put in the candidates He wants (and, although I will vote Republican which is voting based on my faith) I know that whichever party gets in will be because God put them there "for such a time as this" and I will relax and support the Preident of the United States and respect the office.

MSM are businesses. They report the news that sells. If anybody wants unbiased news, watch Jim Lehrer's news show on PBS!

The Palin pick was clearly a play on the media, and a play for PUMAs. The Republicans knew that Obama has been under media scrutiny for over a year, Joe Biden has been under media scrutiny since 1987, and McCain has been under media scrutiny since the Keating S&L scandal. Sarah Palin is completely new news; of course the MSM would jump all over it. Now, McCain supporters cry foul when she is vetted by the media?

The difference between Sarah Palin and Barak Obama is that Obama has competed across the country for the nomination, against excellent competition. By managing a nearly flawless campaign, he has earned his spot on the ticket. Sarah Palin has not! Sarah Palin is a 72 year old heartbeat away from being president. Do I want the MSM to scrutinize every facet of her life, decisions, and decision making skills? Darn straight I do.

On the other hand, because Obama is also very young, it is unlikely that he will kick off during his term. Instead, by picking Joe Biden, he has added somebody who more than offsets any perceived or real lack of experience to be his VP and advisor. in case something does happen to him, Joe Biden is clearly prepared to be president on day one. Is Sarah Palin?

Unfortunately, Sarah Palin has so enraptured the national media's attention, that very little attention has been paid to this glaring contrast in the respective candidates first major decision.

What is ourtageous in this Palin saga is to suggest that Sarah Palin is a microcosm of the American woman. Do American women really believe that incest and rape victims should be forced to keep the baby against their will?

Do American women honestly and sincerely believe that teens should become moms through promiscuity? Or do they rather believe that teen pregnancy is an unfortunate accident and that young girls should be made aware of unprotected sex?

Do American women flaunt their love of guns openly while the same guns mow down their kids at school with reckless abandon?

Do American women love power so much as to 'abandon' a newborn baby that needs special care after 48 hours of delivery to resume gubernatorial duties?

If the above attributes represent the intrinsic values of the American woman, then there is no point preaching modernity to subservient women living under male domination in other parts of the world.

Miller said:
"I would like to know how a B Student in high school... somehow manages to get admitted to ELITE PRIVATE COLLEGES. (There appears to be NO RECORD of him EVER stepping into a PUBLIC SCHOOL in his life.)"

I agree! Your current President has a lot of explaining to do! Or did Bush get into Andover, Yale and Harvard Business School on "merit"?

Barack Obama, however, graduated at the top of his class (Magna cum laude) from Harvard Law School, proving that he outperformed 90% of his competitors on a curved grading system (i'm sure you know what that means) at the best (or second best if you are a Yalie) Law School in the nation.

If he wasn't "qualified" to "get in", how do you explain him getting better grades than 90% of his class mates? I'll be awaiting your response.

You and the other Obama MSM surrogates are in a tailspin and you're grasping at straws trying to create negative journalism (if you can call it journalism) about Sarah Palin.

She's not the problem. Obama is.

Obama's the one who lies and you and his other surrogates let him get away with it.

Obama lied about Rev. Wright and his controversial sermons. On Olberman's show Obama said he did hear any and then the very next Tuesday at the Constitutional Ctr Obama says YES he did.

Obama lied about his relationship to Rezko. I've posted their ties together many times.

Ayers. Obama is now even going to the Justice Dept. to have an ad about him and Ayers stopped. Good luck. They go way back. And that mallarkey about only being 8 years when Ayers bombed the Pentagon. How old was Obama in 1995 when Obama had his first fundraiser in Ayers home, how about in 2001 when Ayers said in the NYT he wished he bombed more, or 2005 when Obama bought a house in Ayers neighborhood. Obama says their kids go to school together. One problem, Ayers are all grown up!

Obama's closest college friends, two Pakistanis. They now work in his campaign as his bundlers. Obama went to Pakistan when he was 20 with one of them and may have used an Indonesian passport. A lawsuit in US Federal Court is expediting Discovery and Depositions on Obama and Dean.

Need I go on? And here you are worrying about whether McCain's campaign said Palin stopped in Iraq or Ireland.

You and the other MSM are so steeped in the Obama goo, that you'll do anything to discredit Palin. And she's more experienced than your Obama. He's only spent 143 active days in the Senate. His career is unremarkable and his flip-flopping is legendary.

Obama and Rezko and Ayers and Wright and Frank Davis and Auchi and Alsammarae and Pakistani roommates and Iranian campaign chief. Do you notice a pattern?

When you and your "friends" get done in Alaska why don't you go to Chicago and do some real investigating!

Posted by: J | September 14, 2008 8:42 PM

*******************************************

J,
If what you posted were true..how come McCain is not 20 points ahead of Obama right now...?? or is it that the talking points of the right wing talking heads like Sean Hannity and Mark Levin and Billie Cunningham (who uses every opportunity to call Barack Obama "Barack Hussein Obama"), do not matter to thinking people..and that the tactics of years gone by are going to work this time..??

Get a clue..Obama is going to be the president of the United States of America at a time when we need a Democrat in the White House the most..the economy is melting down and Republicans have never known how to manage the economy let alone govern this once great nation..

1) Caribou Barbis is an unfair title for Palin. I prefer "Female Version of Ann Coulter"
2) Palin has struck many of us from the start as a phony. Time only confirms this impression
3) Palin's lack of experience is not the problem. Her lying, abuse of power, and horrible policies are. She is unfit for high office, and McCain has proven he is incapable of putting the country's interests over his own political ambition.

I do really hope you were joking!
You actually think Bush has done well!
What cave have you been in for 8 years!

I do believe Palin is not qualified , and is being handled with kid gloves...think they are coming off slowly as the truth comes out , but Hillary was handled like one of the boys , because she handled herself like one of the boys.
Palin is not in the same category at all.

Julie please think again about the job Dubba has done ....do not see any (W the President) stickers on cars anymore . It is like putting a I Am Stupid sticker on your car. I would have scrubbed them off long ago .

LANCASTER, Pa. - Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama said Thursday that the escalation of U.S. troops in Iraq, which he had opposed, has succeeded in reducing violence "beyond our wildest dreams."

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26550764

And check this out... This latest revelation by Mr. - this is above my pay-grade - Barrack Obama - comes in less than 24 hours after Sarah Palin stated in her speech that her opponent [Obama] never mentions the word "victory" except when he talks about his own campaign!!

Does he think that we are so naive not to realize that he just listens to what the other side or the media says and then flip-flops according to where the wind is blowing?!

Come on Obama - the American people have already figured you out...When the heat is on, you start flip-flopping left and right - right and left!

Let's see now if Campbell Brown takes notice of this flip-flop by her "Chosen One"!... She is so pathetic - so far she has not mentioned a thing!!!

Booooooooo, Campbell Brown- make sure nobody attacks your "Obama" icon about his latest..."mother of all flip-flops"!

Question: Could Obama be suffering from "multiple personality disorder"???!!!

The BIG question is who is BH Obama? What has he done for this country. Let my tell you Palin is much more qulified to be anything than Obama is. And she is not even running for President. Wake up left wings. This is not about Palin this is about the qualifications of Obama. And he falls way short of qualifications. We all know who will win. So give it up and start supporting the winners.

Did Sally Quinn, Ben Bradleys lovely wife, write this op-ed for you or have you enlisted in the Obama water carrier corp?

Governor Palin is not Hillary Clinton. What is Clintons claim to fame? Wife of a philandering two term president, carpetbagger senator from New York, and a record that resembles a mug sheet. Can anyone say WHITEWATER.

For the record good bad or in between Governor, yes, Governor Palin is the only person in this election that has executive experience. That includes John McCain. Governor Palin is responsible for 29,000 employees in Alaska. Governor Palin manages a 50 billion dollar state budget. Governor Palin is commander in chief of the Alaska National Guard. Compare this to the non record of your candidate of choice senator Obama.

When you start writing crap about not visiting Ireland, and she did visit Kuwait where the Alaska National Guard was serving and may very well have stopped briefly in Iraq then you and the rest of the Obama toe cheese pickers are showing your desperation.

Let me see an op-ed about Obama's relationship with William Ayers, Rezko, and the communist sympathizer Sol Alinsky, and maybe, just maybe then you may be called a reporter. As it is, you along with the rest of the hysterical left wing media are pathetic.

All men think that a woman has to prove themselves ten times more than they do! She really CAN see Russia from her state shores!

George Bush had barely more experience than Sarah Palin, and he has done just fine!

All men are sexist pigs.

Leave Sarah Palin alone!

Posted by: julie | September 14, 2008 8:53 PM

Goodness gracious Julie,
You have been sleeping through the Bush administration!!!

He has been the worst president we have ever had. He lied us into a war against a country that did us no harm..that had very little defenses against the mighty military of the USA..whose people were already suffering from years of economic sanctions..my goodness..you really have been sleeping through the Bush years haven't you..??

Then there are those pesky torture chambers in our gulag of secret prisons..my goodness..since when did the USA stand for a torture nation on a par with China or the former Soviet Union or Syria and Jordan and Saudi Arabia..or African nations run by various despots or Latin American countries who disappeared their own citizens and threw them out of airplanes over the open sea..like Argentina did during the decades of the disappeared..??

Wow..since when did the USA stand for the illegal wiretapping of its own citizens and the snooping of the government with its awesome power on innocent citizens..holding the power to disappear us..??

Get a clue .. Palin is another George W. Bush and one was quite enough thank you..

It would be instructive if the Post's journalists
would put all the Palin misrepresentations and half-truths in bullet and outline form
quite soon so that the public can keep checking on her assertions.

I thought you are not supposed to fly after your 8th month of pregnancy, did she break the law by flying ? what does that tell you about her judgement. ?
I have had some great Women Bosses in my work life , but Sarah Palin she seems a fake to me and a very ignorant and a dangerous one at that who is just one heart beat away from the 72 year old man who may make a fine President, whom I like , but no thanks I think I will vote for Mr. Obama, despite my reservations about him.

I think Bert in RI is really on to something ("Obama's campaign should forget about experience and drive the messaging toward knowledge. It's one thing to repeat 3-by-5 card sound bites. You can't lead us to the future if you don't understand what's been tried before and where we are now.").

We've had two recent Presidents who were former Governors - one experienced in Arkansas and one experienced in Texas, and we know well how differently their terms turned out!

I agree that we should look seriously at the knowledge each candidate demonstrates on domestic and international history and issues, and would add judgment and ability to carefully analyze to the criteria.

Example: The next President and Vice President will need excellent judgment to select competent advisors and leaders for key jobs. They will also need to have a true bi-partisan style and temperament, as well as the ability to understand and analyze very complex situations to help create a path forward.

Using this yardstick (and many others as well), it's obvious that Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the best choice.

Lastly - let's all be sure to see each debate and evaluate substance, not just style!

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're 'exotic, different.'
* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.
* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard Law School and you are unstable.
* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.
* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.
* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate laywer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner-city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed 'First Dude,' with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

BTW she went to Kuwait to see her AK National Guard troops...to see how they were doing and to make sure their needs were being met. Not to campaign for elected office as did Obama. In the eyes of his supporters the coverage of his visit to the middle east seems to have made up for his nearly 2 year absence since taking office as a US Senator. Oh that's right he was busy running for President and didn't have time. He also lacked space on his busy schedule to perform his duties as an elected official."

Posted by: RC in Illinois | September 15, 2008 12:51 PM

Reply to RC in Illinois:

But of course, he did NOT even have the time to visit our "wounded soldiers" at the Ramstein Military Base in Germany! Check this out, the media is making more fuss about whether Palin actually entered Iraq or saw our troops at the border with Kuwait!

Oh, I see... Obama made a speech at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin - acting more Presidential than JFK and Ronald Reagan together!

John McCain is just using Sarah and when are the woman of the U.S.A. going to wake, John McCain is the biggest Bull s----- in the world, its a shame the way John would use a woman, Heck he hasn't done any thing for AZ in two years.

I think you're forgetting (surely you wouldn't purposely omit) the fact that the Pentagon raised issues on the scheduled trip to visit the troops because a Republican brass official thought it looked like a political visit.

Come on Julie. Get you head out of the sand. Bush has destroyed this country economoically. He lies like all republicans do. We don't need another Bush. McCain should retire and Palin go back to the Tundra. Her husband was part of an organization to succeed Alaska from the union. What a loser. You want someone that has ties like that to be a heartbeat from the presidency? Palin go back home we don't want you in DC.

When are the nations reporters going to return to using a term they absloutely
loved in the 2000 election cycle when refering to Sarah Palin that being "serial liar".
Now after 3 weeks in the national spotlight almost all of Gov Palin's talking points
have turned out to be outright lies that she still repeats as truths.

1. sold jet on E-bay for profit..TRUTH it was sold thru a broker for a $500,000.00 loss
2. she says was against the "bridge to nowhere"..TRUTH a year after it was killed
by Congress (Nov 2005)..she was elected governor(Nov 2006)...then she made
sure they kept the money for other uses (Nov 2007).
3. promised after "Troopergate" was publicly revealed that she and her staff would
fully co-operate with the investigation...TRUTH after trying to have the investigation
dropped....then tried having it moved to a state commitee where she appointed
everyone on the committee..then after weeks of her office and staff stonewalling
the investigation last Friday (9/15)supeoneas had to be issued for testimony from
her staff and for records that her office has withheld for weeks.
4.Palin claims she has been to Iraq to visit the troops...TRUTH as reported this
weekend Palin never visited Iraq only Kuwait. If you think this is nitpicking just
think back to 2000 about one of 18 flights VP Gore took with FEMA officials when
it turns out one of the trips was made with the assistant director and not the director
remember the MSM outrage.
Our MSM seems to be stuck unable to bring themselves to use the term liar
when it comes to palin instead it seems the term IOKIYAR(It's OK if your a Republican)
is the new MSM mantra.

Sarah Palin is a dynamic personality but qualified to perhaps become by tragic circumstances the President of the United States, ridiculous. She not only is unqualified, but has lived a very narrow life. Where is the integrity of the McCain campaign? Where is someone who will step forward either from McCain's advisors or from the people involved with Charlie Gibson's interview and tell all about the editing, the missteps, etc? Do we have to wait until after the fact when someone writes an expose or a book?

It seems pretty clear that everyone here knows who they are going to vote for, I'm wondering if there is anybody who is actually undecided--it seems more likely that people here are simply getting their jollies by trying to upset other people greatly. In that same vein, here are some facts about each of the candidates:

Obama is not, in fact, a muslim, and if he were it shouldn't disqualify him any more than the fact that Biden is Catholic.

Biden is, in fact, the poorest member of the US Senate, not raking in millions of dollars from industries that he oversees as a legislator. Such as the millions that McCain received from the banking industry.

McCain is someone who has voted with George W Bush in 95% of instances.

Sarah Palin has been mayor of a town less populous than a Chicago city block and governor of a state less populous than Charlotte, North Carolina.

It's a shame that the Republicans are lying their way through another election, and it's a bigger shame that the media is making themselves complicit in the spread of these lies in the name of balance.

The Republicans are masterful, Sarah Palin is going to walk into the Whitehouse with the media watching closed lipped much the same way George Bush marched into Iraq with the media watching closed lipped. The Republicans spent the convention berating the media to the point that the media bought into it and now has it's collective tail between it's leg. They proceeded to introduce an unknown and unqualified candidate campaigning on untruths while simultaneously launching a very negative and untruthful ad campaign against Obama. Where's the main stream media???. Except for a few opinions and blogs such as this one, the media is closed lipped and watching.

Why doesn't the media point out that Obama has spent more time campaigning for president than actually serving as a state senator. I think that there is a need to fix a lot of issues within the country but not go off to any extreme like Obama is proposing. Obama plans to go back to the old Keynesian way of running an economy that were proved to be ineffective in the long run. Out of all the Nobel laureates at the university of Chicago who could teach him how markets work he still thinks that the government should take over. Just because his economic adviser works at the university it should be noted that Obama is a person with extreme views which could be extremely deleterious to the country(more so than mccain). It is a question of choosing the lesser of two evils.

Stuff it, you hack. What about Obama's deceptions? New Washington: Joe Biden. New politics: attack ads. Single mother on food stamps: no, mother married when he was 5 and moved him to Indonesia. Left that out of the convention film, along with the most exclusive private prep school in Honolulu when he was older.

Rezko just some guy who donate 40 grand, take it back? No, the guy who bought your yard for you and raised 250K for your state senate campaign, well-known around here as a shakedown artist. Ethics reform? Yes, we saw your pols and delegates being wined, dined, and enjoying Kanye West courtesy of corporations and lobbyists with business before the Congress.

No waste of money, take federal campaign funds? Er, no. New knew Wright said all those horrible things? Funny, everybody else on the South Side does.

You can slip and slide, but you can't hide forever. Obama and Palin: well-matched.

Quote: "If, while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant, you're very responsible." Posted by HESS

Reply to HESS:

I know many parents who do an excellent job in leading their children in the right direction yet their children get in trouble. Your statement- questioning Palin's leadership skills based on the actions of he 17 year old (after all she is not 13) does not make any sense or whatsoever.

Even within the same family you see many cases where a child gets in trouble while their siblings do not. So- what goes wrong? Same parents, same upbringing, same set of moral values by the parents passed to all of their children... One child may get in trouble while his/her sibling does not.

You just never know...And, to many of you, who are critical of Palin's leadership ability because of the actions of her 17 year old, I would say, "you never know what awaits your own children down the road"...

How would you like people to question you because a child of yours may get in trouble even if you have done a "perfect job" as a mother? As if anyone is perfect...

I wish someone in the press would point out that the strategy of repeating lies endlessly until they are eventually believed to be true, was first conceived by the nazis, used extensively by Bush, and has now been perfected by these traitors.

LIES, LIES, LIES and more G.O.P. lies. What is it gonna take for us to keep these creeps outta the White House, another Great Depression this nation has to survive through? Well, heck, we seem to be already there with Wall Street practically collapsing. There are some people (ignorant I might add) who would see this nation perish by the ineptness of these vile, corrupt, out of touch, sleazy Repugnants than to kick them out of office and take this nation in a new direction.

McCain's VP choice is endlessly fascinating to me. I find myself waking up each morning waiting to hear more and more lies from them being debunked. Thank you MSM. I just have one question for the Repugs: are you still against affirmative action? That position seems to have crumbled along with your family values platform. Palin is a living and breathing example of the worst assumptions (perceived inferiority) about beneficiaries of affirmative action (more often than not, white women).

this woman thinks killing helpless animals whose last place of refuge is Alaska - like wolves, bears, etc. from a flying helicopter is FUN!! Seriously people...that is her idea of FUN. She supports the laws that allow it and she partakes herself. I have a picture on Facebook of her standing at poolside with a rifle in her hands wearing a very minimal bikini with red stripes on the bra and stars on the bottom; holding a big rifle with a gleeful look on her face while a young teenager with gangsta falling pants behind her smokes a cigarette next to another with a rifle pointed over the pool. This is the woman whose finger could be on the nuclear button.... She is pretty, and appealing to a certain group of people..but seriously - she is a REDNECK in an up-do and is a dangerous woman to put in charge of the most powerful country on earth..especially when it is already in peril. We should look back at history and see where roughians with unsophisticated backgrounds led their countries in the past and shudder at the thought.

Experience is no substitute for cool judgment, so I find all this argument about "experience" to be in the end an unimportant distraction. What strikes me about the selection of Sarah Palin as Senator McCain's running mate is the impulsive, not to say excitable, decision McCain himself made. He seems to have completely abandoned any thought of the good of the country, and concentrated only on getting himself elected. If he wanted a Republican woman for V-P, one with an independent streak who frequently bucked their own Party, one with extensive experience, he had two outstanding possibilities in either of the two Senators from Maine. If he wanted a staunch right-winger with ample broad experience and credentials, there was Kay Bailey Hutchins from Texas. That he chose Palin with her slender resume (and no matter how they pad it, it is slender) is clear proof he was blinded by personal ambition. Pretending that Palin is equivalent to Biden (or Obama either) is ludicrous. I do not denigrate her accomplishments by any means, but she is in over her head at this stage in her career: Too Much, Too Soon. The impulsive, easily angered, and often hostile Senator McCain continues to show us he is by temperament unsuited to be President by his own selection of Governor Palin.

Musings brings up a good point and judging by some of the retorts; it seems Obama simply has to sleep on another country's book on political structure (as in Edgar Casey) to learn all there is to know about that country.

Ted Land (907) 762-9269 of KTUU TV an NBC affiliate in Alaska who did the news story of a hugh rally in Alaska against Sarah Palin. I told him that I was amazed that none of the networks carried or asked for any of the footage. He said that he was just as amazed as I was especially when NBC did not request any footage. He also said that CNN was there. I told him the only story that I heard concerning a protest on CNN was about Oprah. What's going on here folks? I found out about the story at KTTU.COM There are a lot of people especially women, democrats and republicans unlike who disagreeD with Palin and thinks she's dangerous for the country. The protest started with 8 to 10 women sitting around realizing that Palin doesn't represent them. A nasty radio host broadcast their names over the airways and others tried to stop the rally. It was big news in Alaska and you can see the story on KTTU.COM website. This goes to show you that Rick Davis has far reaching arms. Palin will be hidden from the legit media as well as any negative press. Alaska is a small community so there will be some backlash but still these people weren't afraid to speak out. What happen to our press coverage here about the protest IN ALASKA. CALL TED AND ASK HIM ABOUT THE STORY

Nice to see the Post and NY Times have entered into tag team hit pieces on Gov Palin. Guess Kornblut tagged out to Dowd who tags out to Dionne. If she is as dumb as you suggest, why do you spend all of your ink trying to convince the rest of us of your just crusade to expose this "fake". I guess Biden must be the holy trinity since no one seems to care that the self proclaimed liberal contributed less than $400 of his $350,000 salary to charity last year. That tells a lot about where his true convictions lie.

I smell Obama here! Isn't he "The One" after all, who "will turn the waters and heal the planet!!!

The One; consider the following as a reply to your sexist comment...(apparently there many sexist pigs around...)

CNN - Campbell Brown: Mother of 5 shouldn't be a VP

Quote: "Amazing to me the fuss about a Mother of Five not being suitable for a VP position. Nancy Pelosi has five children and 7 grandchildren and has been in political life a long time. There are 16 Female Senators, 5 Rep. and 11 Dem. most of whom have two or more children. And this just scratches the surface, it's a non-issue. Go Sarah!" Posted by: M Rhodes of CA.

Bingo!!! I agree 100%!

Campbell Brown - the maniac of CNN - had a special report on this last night - bending obviously out of shape (as usually) about how Sarah Palin was going to juggle 5 kids and the VP position!

I suggest to Campbell Brown to resign from her position at CNN and stay home to juggle her 8 month old baby! She will be doing us a favor - no love lost here!

Sarah Palin's private life and how she juggles her 5 kids is none of Campbell Brown's or anyone else's business! Besides, why she did has not ask Joe Biden why he did not abandon his career as a Senator to stay home with two children after that tragic automobile accident in which he lost his wife? If she had asked such question she would have been FIRED and rightfully so!!

Why is this neurotic/maniac of CNN - Campbell Brown - so obsessed with Sarah Palin?

P.S. CNN needs to put her on some sort of tranquilizers...I am worried about Campbell Brown's ability to be a fit mother with all these nerves of hers!

What I really like about Palin si that she has proved to everyone that her ovaries and vagina work. She's popped out FIVE kids. She's doing the work of the Lord, breeding soldiers for Jesus' Army of Crusaders who will take back the Middle east from the infidel Moslem Arabs.

The public should be outraged at the pure unadulterated hypocrisy of the religious right and the Republicans.
The GOP said we can’t be the world’s policeman, then raced unnecessarily into Iraq costing forty-five hundred yourg American men and women their lives, untold injured and a trillion dollar tax bill on Americans; they are, supposedly, the hawks when it comes to national security but they undermined and exposed the name of an intelligence agent; they said anyone involved in the exposure of that agent’s name would be fired and prosecuted and didn’t; they have been the stewards in charge as virtually every aspect of the economy that has slid into the dumps. Now, on the current election, they are asking Americans to stay stuck on stupid and stay with a losing horse for another four to eight years. Yet, these are supposedly patriotic Americans, who profess to love this country. If what they have done to this country is love, then what is hate?

When Obama stated, in effect, that he would rather see his daughters educated about sex than ignora